After The Shared Beta Was Abandoned By The Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 7

Lin Xiaogu stared at the string of garbled characters in the document.

She had no idea when she had typed them.

Perhaps she had accidentally pressed against the keyboard when she fell asleep at the table that night?

Lin Xiaogu gave two dry laughs.

Xi Bingye glanced at her and said calmly, “Forget it. Show me what you’ve learned.”

For the next half hour, Lin Xiaogu gave Xi Bingye a comprehensive demonstration of her proficiency with various office programs.

Standing behind her, Xi Bingye praised her warmly, “Not bad. You learned very quickly.”

Lin Xiaogu smiled shyly, her fingers unconsciously curling slightly against the keyboard.

“I only just learned how to use a computer… I still have a long way to go.”

“Your foundation is solid, so you should adapt to the work quickly as well,” Xi Bingye said evenly. “As for everything else, I believe you can handle it too.”

The moment she finished speaking, the phone in her pocket vibrated.

Xi Bingye gave Lin Xiaogu a slight nod, then turned and walked toward the window to answer the call.

Lin Xiaogu remained seated, watching her back. For some inexplicable reason, warmth spread through her heart.

Although Baiyi often encouraged her as well, Xi Bingye’s approval seemed to carry weight. It settled heavily in her chest, spreading into a deep sense of satisfaction at having truly been seen.

A subordinate’s voice came from the other end of the call.

“Prosecutor, the snow outside has stopped, and the police department is working hard to clear the roads. The wind has not weakened today, so carrying out our investigation will still be difficult. However, it should be possible to go out and purchase some essential supplies.”

“All right, I understand. Thank you for maintaining order,” Xi Bingye replied briefly before ending the call.

When she turned around, she met Lin Xiaogu’s bright, expectant eyes.

Lin Xiaogu asked carefully, “Can we… begin working now?”

“Not yet.” Xi Bingye walked back to her side and explained, “Although the snow has stopped, the wind has not weakened. Whether we conduct interviews or investigate the scene, it would still be very difficult.”

She paused and looked at Lin Xiaogu.

“There’s a convenience store two kilometers away. I’m planning to buy a few things. Is there anything you need?”

Lin Xiaogu thought for a moment, then gathered her courage and asked, “Could you… take me with you?”

Xi Bingye neither agreed nor refused immediately. She simply stated the facts calmly.

“We don’t have any transportation, so we’ll have to walk there. It’s two kilometers through the snow. Are you certain you can manage?”

Lin Xiaogu took a deep breath.

As Xi Bingye’s secretary, she believed she had a responsibility to remain by the prosecutor’s side.

After a moment, she nodded firmly, determination in her eyes.

“I can.”

The moment they opened the door, bitter wind carrying loose snow struck them head-on. The entire world was a chaotic expanse of silver-white.

Heavy snow covered the distant mountains and erased every trace of the roads. Only a few trails of footprints, some deep and some shallow, wound into the distance.

The wind had not stopped. It howled past their ears.

The snow underfoot had been compacted, then covered by a fresh layer. Every step produced a muffled crunch, while a slick layer of ice remained hidden beneath it.

The two-kilometer journey seemed exceptionally long.

Xi Bingye walked steadily in front.

From the corner of her eye, she kept watch over Lin Xiaogu behind her. When she heard Lin Xiaogu’s breathing gradually grow heavier and her footsteps occasionally stumble, she quietly slowed her pace, always maintaining a distance that Lin Xiaogu could follow.

The convenience store stood alone beside the border highway, its illuminated sign flickering through the wind and snow.

The store was small, and the shelves looked somewhat bare. However, the numbers on the price labels were shockingly high—nearly five times the normal market price.

Xi Bingye casually picked up a shopping basket and looked at the uneasy Lin Xiaogu.

“Take whatever you need. Don’t be polite.”

“Okay…”

Lin Xiaogu replied softly and followed behind her.

She carefully examined row after row of shelves, from food to daily necessities. Several times, her fingers lifted toward something before dropping again.

In the end, her hands remained empty.

“Hmm?” Xi Bingye turned and noticed that she had not taken anything. She looked slightly puzzled. “Why haven’t you picked anything?”

Lin Xiaogu’s cheeks warmed, and her voice became even quieter.

“Everything here… is too expensive.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Xi Bingye said calmly.

Lin Xiaogu shook her head. Her gaze swept over the prices before she quickly looked away as though they had burned her.

“I think… I’ll forget it.”

Xi Bingye did not ask further questions. Instead, she began selecting things directly.

Her voice remained even.

“Are you allergic to eggs?”

Lin Xiaogu answered instinctively, “…No.”

“Do you drink chocolate milk?”

“Mhm…”

“Shrimp and mango salad or salmon?”

Lin Xiaogu looked at the shocking price tag beside the delicately packaged salad and bit her lower lip.

“Prosecutor Xi, I actually… don’t need to eat.”

Xi Bingye paused.

She seemed to understand what Lin Xiaogu was struggling with.

“Lin Xiaogu,” she called, her voice softer than usual.

Lin Xiaogu looked up. “I’m here.”

Xi Bingye turned to face her, her gaze calm and direct.

“I’m very wealthy. Even if I bought everything in this store, the number of digits in my bank balance wouldn’t decrease. Therefore, you don’t need to feel guilty, and you don’t need to save money for me.”

Lin Xiaogu guiltily looked away.

“You’re my secretary,” Xi Bingye continued, her tone carrying an unquestionable certainty. “In the future, you’ll also have plenty of money. So when you buy something, don’t look at the price first. Only ask yourself whether you truly need it.”

She picked up the box of salad and held it in front of Lin Xiaogu.

“For example, if you ignored the price, would you want to eat this?”

“I…”

Lin Xiaogu could not bring herself to say it.

“Hmm?”

Xi Bingye waited patiently. There was no pressure in her eyes, only a gentle question.

Lin Xiaogu gritted her teeth.

“…I want to.”

“All right.”

The corner of Xi Bingye’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.

“Would you prefer the shrimp and mango salad or the salmon?”

Lin Xiaogu pointed.

“The shrimp one.”

At the checkout counter, Lin Xiaogu’s heart tightened when she saw the astonishing total.

Xi Bingye, however, had already swiped her card without hesitation and picked up two heavy shopping bags.

Lin Xiaogu immediately stepped forward.

“Prosecutor Xi, let me carry one.”

Xi Bingye subtly moved her hand out of Lin Xiaogu’s reach.

It was not because she felt protective of the bags. Rather, she had clearly noticed that Lin Xiaogu had already struggled during the walk there. Carrying something on the return journey would only make things harder for her.

“There’s no need. I’ll carry them,” Xi Bingye said gently but firmly.

The two of them walked back into the wind and snow, one in front of the other.

Lin Xiaogu stared at Xi Bingye’s back and the two visibly heavy bags in her hands. The uncomfortable feeling in her heart grew stronger.

She jogged forward a few steps and gently tugged on Xi Bingye’s sleeve.

“Prosecutor Xi, please give me one… My stamina is fine.”

Xi Bingye glanced at her.

After a moment, she compromised and handed over one of the bags.

“All right. Be careful.”

Lin Xiaogu accepted it. The heavy weight pulled against her arm, but the heavy stone in her heart finally settled.

However, that relief did not last long.

The return journey became even more difficult because of her exhaustion and the additional weight.

The cold wind struck her face like an icy whip, and grains of snow slipped beneath her collar.

Lin Xiaogu’s steps grew slower and slower, while her breathing became increasingly heavy.

Her legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. Every step required tremendous effort.

Finally, when they reached a small incline, she stopped.

She braced her hands against her knees and gasped for breath. Fine beads of sweat appeared at her temples and rapidly chilled in the cold air.

Xi Bingye heard the already unsteady footsteps behind her gradually fall farther away before disappearing entirely.

She stopped and turned around.

Lin Xiaogu stood far behind her in the snow. Her slender figure looked as though the wind might blow straight through her.

Xi Bingye walked back and naturally took the bag from Lin Xiaogu’s hand.

“See?” Her voice was soft, without any reproach. It even carried a nearly imperceptible sigh. “I told you that you didn’t need to carry it.”

“You knew it would exhaust you this much, so why do you always insist on pushing yourself?”

Xi Bingye’s tone was not harsh. It was, in fact, extremely light.

Yet Lin Xiaogu still felt as though she had committed some terrible mistake.

That was right.

She clearly had not needed to force herself.

Had she not insisted on carrying the bag, perhaps she would not have delayed their return or appeared so useless.

“I’m sorry,” Lin Xiaogu said, lowering her head. Her voice trembled slightly.

“I’m not criticizing you.”

Xi Bingye stared at her for a long while, confusion in her eyes. After a moment, she laughed softly.

“…I simply don’t understand you.”

Lin Xiaogu abruptly lifted her head.

“Huh?”

She did not understand her?

Did Xi Bingye find her troublesome, or did she think her behavior was strange?

Xi Bingye did not avoid her gaze. Instead, she took half a step closer, slightly narrowing the distance between them.

Wind and snow spiraled around them.

“Secretary Lin,” Xi Bingye began gently, her voice exceptionally clear amid the wind, “what kind of person do you think I am?”

Lin Xiaogu had not expected that question and froze.

She answered honestly, “You’re… a very good person.”

“Be more specific.”

“You’re composed, calm when dealing with problems, and highly capable at your work… You also take very good care of me,” Lin Xiaogu said, carefully choosing her words.

Afterward, she cautiously observed Xi Bingye’s expression.

Xi Bingye merely nodded lightly and asked, “Then do you like me?”

“…!?”

Lin Xiaogu’s eyes flew open.

Her ears instantly burned, and blood rushed straight to her head.

She was so anxious to deny it that she bit her tongue. The sharp pain and overwhelming panic made her speak without thinking, almost shouting—

“I don’t!”

It was the first time Xi Bingye had ever heard Lin Xiaogu speak so loudly.

After suddenly being shouted at, Xi Bingye was momentarily stunned.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in her tongue, Lin Xiaogu’s face burned as she repeated herself with absolute clarity, each word striking the frozen ground like a hammer.

“I. Do. Not. Like. You!”

“All right.”

Xi Bingye’s expression was unusually calm, as though the abrupt question had never existed.

“I understand.”

The moment she finished speaking, Lin Xiaogu abruptly turned away.

Ignoring the weakness in her legs, she hurried forward at an almost stumbling pace.

It was as though she feared Xi Bingye might chase after her…

Xi Bingye remained where she was, watching the figure that had nearly disappeared into the curtain of snow.

Confusion remained in her eyes.

“She truly is… a strange person.”