After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, a Cold Omega Stole My Heart - Chapter 15

Because of the events over the weekend, Xie Shuyun had been absent-minded lately. It wasn’t until P.E. class, when she needed to move her body, that she finally snapped out of it and temporarily pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

Compared to Omegas, who generally preferred indoor sports like table tennis or swimming, Alphas favored running and jumping outdoors.

Xie Shuyun and Shang Yan were no exception. They grabbed a basketball and started shooting hoops, but it wasn’t long before everyone split into two teams and began competing fiercely on the court.

Shouts, calls, and cheers rose and fell in an instant. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Xie Shuyun’s cheeks were flushed from the intense exercise. Her brilliant, excited smile, paired with her bright eyes that occasionally sharpened with focus, was incredibly eye-catching.

“Yun-zai!” Shang Yan deftly spun around to shake off the person blocking her and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the ball flying toward Xie Shuyun.

Xie Shuyun caught the ball steadily. Taking a deep breath, she bent her knees slightly, her body tensing. Before the opposing team could lung forward to steal, she leaped lightly in place. The ball drew a perfect parabola through the air and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, fell straight through the hoop with a crisp swish.

“Whoa!”

“Smooth! A three-pointer!”

Because of Xie Shuyun’s three-pointer, the already wide score gap grew even larger. Her team secured the victory with ease.

“Haha, nice one, Yun-zai! That three-pointer was awesome. Now we get free drinks—the losers are buying!” Shang Yan rushed over, hooked her arm around Xie Shuyun’s neck and shook her a few times, giving a big thumbs-up in excitement.

“Why do I feel like your last sentence was the actual point?” Xie Shuyun smiled helplessly at her friend, who whistled and pretended not to understand.

As she wiped her sweat and prepared to wash her hands, she realized the court had been surrounded by a crowd at some point. Not only had the Omegas from the table tennis hall come out, but students from other P.E. classes had gathered as well.

The Alphas were itching to jump in and play, but the looks from the Omegas made Xie Shuyun feel a bit uneasy. Beside her, Shang Yan wore a teasing expression and gave Xie Shuyun’s arm a light punch.

“Look at you. One basketball game and you’ve attracted a whole swarm of butterflies. I can already imagine the gifts and confession letters on your desk doubling tomorrow.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Xie Shuyun smiled bitterly. Her eyes instinctively searched the crowd. Since most people were out here, where was Cheng Lingxue? Unfortunately, after scanning the area several times, she still couldn’t find her. She retracted her gaze with a hint of disappointment and allowed Shang Yan to lead her toward the others.

What Xie Shuyun didn’t know was that around a nearby corner, a pair of dark eyes was watching her. Seeing Xie Shuyun surrounded by so many Omegas and looking flustered while dealing with them, Cheng Lingxue pursed her lips, her expression tightening.

She looked down at the milk tea she had just bought. Compared to the scorching heat outside, the iced drink soon caused beads of water to condense on the bottom of the cup and drip down.

The girl’s breathing was slightly erratic. Cheng Lingxue lowered her eyes, her pupils wavering. She only wanted to return the favor for Xie Shuyun’s care yesterday. Why… why did it feel a bit painful? It shouldn’t be like this… and yet…

After one last glance at Xie Shuyun in the middle of the crowd, the girl turned and walked away quickly. Only her swaying ponytail betrayed its owner’s unsettled heart.

“Ah, a shower after exercise followed by a Coke—pure bliss.” Tilting her head back for a gulp of soda, Shang Yan let out a satisfied sigh. She glanced at the sports drink in Xie Shuyun’s hand and asked as she wiped her mouth:

“Aren’t you drinking? Yun-zai, it won’t be cold for much longer.”

“In a bit. I’m still out of breath; I’ll drink after I cool down.” Xie Shuyun waved her hand. As she and Shang Yan walked into the classroom, she suddenly froze.

On her previously empty desk sat a cup of milk tea. Xie Shuyun was stunned. She had already turned down all the water and drinks offered by the Omegas earlier; how was there another one on her desk?

“Who gave you this? Someone from our class?” Acting faster than Xie Shuyun, Shang Yan leaned over the desk to inspect the milk tea. “Hmm… looks ordinary, just the kind they sell at school.” She looked around, but all the classmates she made eye contact with shook their heads; clearly, no one knew where it came from.

“Eh? There’s a note?” As she spoke, Shang Yan’s hand reached for the small slip of paper next to the milk tea. This time, however, another hand beat her to it—Xie Shuyun’s.

Whatever was written on it caused Xie Shuyun to break into a smile. It was the first time Shang Yan had seen her look that way after receiving a gift. Driven by curiosity, she desperately wanted to see.

“What does it say? Let me see…” Before she could finish, her face was gently pushed away by Xie Shuyun.

“Go sit down. Class is about to start.”

“Stingy!” Shang Yan huffed at her but didn’t pry further.

Xie Shuyun sat back in her seat, her eyes lingering on the elegant, flowing handwriting on the note. It was actually just four simple words:

Weekend return gift.

She had seen Cheng Lingxue’s handwriting at the library; it was very beautiful—bold yet refined, sharp yet graceful.

She took a light sniff. Besides the scent of paper and ink, the note seemed to carry the faint lingering aura of its previous owner. That subtle coconut-milk fragrance was intoxicating. With great effort, Xie Shuyun moved the note away to prevent herself from acting like a total creep.

She stole a glance at the girl who was currently focused on her problems as if the world didn’t exist. After confirming she wasn’t being watched, Xie Shuyun immediately looked down and rummaged through her drawer.

After some hesitation, she pulled out a notebook. Flipping to a perfectly blank, clean page, she carefully taped the note inside. She double-checked to ensure there were no creases before gently closing it. Once finished, she looked around guiltily like a thief, hoping no one had witnessed the scene.

Xie Shuyun lightly stroked her notebook, her heart unable to stop wondering: Does this mean the girl is trying to show me some goodwill? After all, the school’s milk tea was famous for being delicious; it was one of the few drinks students were willing to wait in a long line for. Buying it must have taken quite some time.

Looking at the milk tea, she forgot her habit of not drinking cold beverages within two hours of exercising. She inserted the straw, picked up the cup, and took a sip.

The sweet tea fragrance danced on her tongue, blending with the fresh milk and the rich, mellow aroma of brown sugar.

The cool sensation extinguished the lingering heat from her workout and calmed her fluttering heart. Xie Shuyun let out a satisfied sigh. This milk tea seemed more delicious than ever. It was sweet… sweet to the very core of her heart.

While she was enjoying the tea, she didn’t realize that Cheng Lingxue—who usually never got distracted in class—was actually daydreaming. Her lovely eyes flickered toward Xie Shuyun from time to time.

Cheng Lingxue tapped her fingertips lightly on the desk. She thought about Xie Shuyun’s cheeks, which had been flushed from exercise, the few damp strands of hair clinging to her face, and her messy, haphazardly tied hair. This person really doesn’t know how to take care of herself…

She couldn’t help but steal another glance. Seeing the other person still looking down, her throat moving as she swallowed, sipping the milk tea in small gulps without even sparing a glance for the teacher on the podium, Cheng Lingxue felt speechless. At the same time, a question surfaced in her mind:

Is that milk tea really that good?

The thought flashed by, and she subconsciously swallowed. She actually felt a tiny bit of a craving. This uncontrolled thought stunned her. She clenched her fist slightly, letting the sting of her nails against her palm stop her train of thought.

Finally, the school day ended. Cheng Lingxue packed her things quickly. Without waiting for Xie Shuyun, she grabbed her bag and strode toward the classroom door. Just as she reached the corner, a figure came sprinting toward her.

“Lingxue, wait! Why did you leave by yourself?”

Seeing no reaction from Cheng Lingxue, the person behind her grew anxious and took several long strides to block her path. Looking at the girl in front of her who was nervously scratching her ear, a flash of complexity crossed Cheng Lingxue’s eyes. However, deep down, she felt a tiny bit of joy at the other person’s initiative, which smoothed over the slight irritation she had felt from being ignored over the past few days.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah? I… well… this…” Not expecting her to ask that, Xie Shuyun searched her mind and realized she didn’t really have a logical reason for blocking the way. Rubbing her nose sheepishly, she said softly:

“Thank you for today. The milk tea was delicious.” As she spoke, she quickly scanned the area to make sure no one was listening. Since Cheng Lingxue had chosen to act when others weren’t around, Xie Shuyun deduced she didn’t want anyone else to know.

Staring at the other girl’s brilliant, joyful smile, Cheng Lingxue’s lips parted slightly, but she eventually turned her face away.

“It was just a return gift for the weekend. Don’t think too much of it.”

“Actually, you don’t have to be so formal about return gifts and such. Ah, let me carry your bag for you! There’s a lot of homework today, it must be heavy. Let me take it.”

Without waiting for a response, Xie Shuyun took the bag from her hands and walked alongside her. Although the scenery was the same as always, it felt exceptionally beautiful today. Even the air seemed fresher.

Despite her flat response, it didn’t dampen the good mood of the person beside her at all. Pursing her lips, Cheng Lingxue lowered her head. She didn’t understand why this person could smile so happily, like a child. It was just a cup of milk tea—was all this really necessary?

This person seemed… to be straying further and further from the figure in her memories.

Clutching her skirt lightly, Cheng Lingxue told herself not to pry too much. She still had important things to do; she wasn’t in the mood to play around like a child.

She hadn’t exacted her revenge on those people yet—she must not relax, especially against that person!