After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, a Cold Omega Stole My Heart - Chapter 19

Xie Shuyun’s hand missed by only a few centimeters; the figure ahead suddenly stepped to the side, deftly avoiding her touch.

Looking at her own raised hand, Xie Shuyun felt a wave of embarrassment. Cheng Lingxue stole a glance at her, her gaze then falling on the hand hanging in mid-air where she had just been standing.

“Is something wrong?”

“No… nothing… let’s just head inside quickly.” Xie Shuyun hurriedly retracted her hand and hid it behind her back. She brushed past Cheng Lingxue and was the first to push open the door to the pet shop.

Chime-chime. The bell hanging above the door rang softly as Xie Shuyun pushed it open, announcing the arrival of guests.

There was only one female Beta in the shop. After finishing with other customers, she quickly walked over.

“Hello, how can I help you today?”

“We’ll just look around for a bit first.” Xie Shuyun waved her hand politely. The Beta was used to this; after all, pet shops often had people coming in just to browse.

After a few brief pleasantries, the clerk left. Xie Shuyun turned around to see that Cheng Lingxue had already walked over to the cages by the window. Her eyes were scanning them incessantly as if searching for something. Suppressing her curiosity, Xie Shuyun followed closely behind her until Cheng Lingxue finally stopped.

The girl crouched down, making it hard for Xie Shuyun to see what she was doing. Xie Shuyun cautiously tilted her body to peek at what had finally moved the “Cold Fairy.”

It appeared to be a Golden Retriever puppy that had only recently been weaned. Although it had quite a bit of dark, fuzzy fur on its body, the way the puppy was curled into a ball was incredibly cute.

Likely because it had just left its mother, the little pup was huddled in the corner, appearing a bit too timid to interact with people or its littermates.

Cheng Lingxue’s presence, however, caught its attention. Its small, coal-black eyes looked over, and it stuck out a tiny pink tongue, licking Cheng Lingxue’s tentative finger without a hint of fear.

Cheng Lingxue’s pupils flickered. Her fingertip lightly brushed the pup, deftly avoiding its attempts to gnaw on her with its yet-to-develop teeth. She tapped its small head with her finger-pad and gave it a gentle scratch.

“Wuu… awooo…” The puppy squinted its eyes in comfort, letting out a muffled, milky howl.

The corners of the cold girl’s mouth curled up slightly at the sound—it was like a breath of spring air. Perhaps because her icy aura had dissipated, all the other unattended kittens and puppies in the shop began to stir, eager to get close.

In an instant, the girl was surrounded by small animals. Kittens and puppies yapped and meowed, rubbing their paws and heads against her, desperate for even a single glance. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to have a special soft spot for the little Golden Retriever; her fingers kept teasing it, and the smile in her eyes grew warmer and brighter.

At this moment, Cheng Lingxue’s “charm stats” had practically doubled. She was a total spotlight; even the children in the shop wanted to join in, and several people reached for their phones to take photos.

Xie Shuyun had lost count of how many times she’d stared blankly at this sight. She blinked, feeling that Cheng Lingxue had smiled more today than ever before. She quickly snapped back to reality, noticing the situation around them, and immediately stepped in to block anyone trying to take pictures.

Ignoring the resentful glares of the crowd, a thought flashed through Xie Shuyun’s mind, making her frown slightly.

She remembered from the book that before her family went bankrupt, Cheng Lingxue had a purebred Golden Retriever she grew up with. Sadly, when she was kicked out by her heartless relatives, the dog was taken away. No one knew where it ended up—at best it was bought by a new family; at worst, its fate was likely grim.

Xie Shuyun scanned the shop. A small shop like this naturally wouldn’t have many purebred dogs. The puppy Cheng Lingxue was playing with was simply the one that looked most like a Golden Retriever. No wonder it had won her favor.

Thinking of this, Xie Shuyun felt a pang of sadness and heartache for the girl.

Even though she was the female lead, right now she was just a child facing the ruin of her home. Her eyes fell back on the puppy, and a light sparkled in her gaze. Wait… maybe I can…

Cheng Lingxue gently scooped up the puppy with both hands and slowly lifted it. As the pup looked down from her palms, its little head shrank back, and it even covered its eyes with its tiny paws, curling up in her hands, not daring to move… Cheng Lingxue couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, thinking the little thing looked quite a bit like a certain someone.

“You seem to really like it.” Xie Shuyun’s voice came from beside her, making Cheng Lingxue freeze. Her hand shook slightly, and the puppy let out a whimper, its tiny paws hooking onto Cheng Lingxue’s thumb, looking even more cowardly.

“I don’t.” Even though those words came out of her mouth, her movements remained gentle as she carefully placed the puppy back on the floor.

Xie Shuyun’s follow-up words died in her throat. She couldn’t bring up Cheng Lingxue’s past for fear of making her sad, so she just rubbed her nose and reached out her other hand to pet the puppy.

Unexpectedly, the puppy, which had been scrambling on all fours to “escape the danger,” spun in a circle. The moment it saw Xie Shuyun’s hand, its eyes went wide. It let out a “fierce” milky bark and swiped Xie Shuyun’s finger away with its paw. In its coal-black eyes, there was a clear look of disdain!

Then, as if forgetting its recent ordeal, it nuzzled its nose back against Cheng Lingxue. Xie Shuyun could almost see the puppy “fawning” over her.

She was shocked. It was one thing to be disliked by Cheng Lingxue, but now she was being snubbed by a puppy? What kind of grudge did it have? Was she really that unpopular?

Cheng Lingxue, standing beside her, didn’t help matters. She suppressed a laugh that almost escaped, letting out a dry cough instead:

“Don’t hold a grudge against a puppy.”

In an instant, Xie Shuyun felt incredibly wronged. She was actually being treated worse than a dog she’d known for less than ten minutes. She felt like the whole world was against her!

“Ahem… we should go.” Cheng Lingxue gently pushed the puppy away from her feet and stood up. But just as she found her footing, a boom of thunder echoed from outside.

The two looked at each other in surprise. Immediately after, fat raindrops began to pelt the window, growing thicker and faster until, in the blink of an eye, it was a downpour.

“Ah, it’s okay, I have an umbrella.” Rummaging through her bag, Xie Shuyun pulled out a folding umbrella, but then looked troubled. Folding umbrellas were convenient, but this one clearly wasn’t big enough for two. In this rain, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“How about I just ask Qin Yu to drive over and pick us up?” Xie Shuyun asked, scratching her head.

“It’s not that far; no need to trouble Butler Qin.” Cheng Lingxue shook her head, vetoing the idea, and lightly pushed open the shop door.

However, the difference between the rain seen from inside and the actual downpour outside was huge. If Xie Shuyun hadn’t been quick enough to pull Cheng Lingxue back half a step, the splashing rain would have soaked her shoes instantly.

Cheng Lingxue looked down; at her feet was a real estate flyer for a house sale. Much of it was blurred and soaked by the rain, but even so, she felt a sense of familiarity with the house pictured on it.

Unaware of the other’s gaze, Xie Shuyun was calculating rapidly. At a normal pace, the walk home would take fifteen minutes, but now it would take nearly thirty—and that was assuming they’d be soaked to the bone.

Glancing at Cheng Lingxue, Xie Shuyun felt that as an Alpha, she could handle some rain, but Cheng Lingxue was an Omega; she’d likely get sick.

An idea struck her, but she hesitated, stammering as she spoke:

“I have a way to get us home as fast as possible, but… it might be a bit offensive to you.”

Cheng Lingxue’s gaze swept over. She watched as Xie Shuyun bit her lip, gestured at her own body, and then held up ten fingers:

“Ten minutes. No… less than ten minutes. We’ll definitely be home.”

On a street where people were holding bags over their heads or struggling with umbrellas, a spirited girl bent down under the corner of an eave, wrapping her jacket around the legs of a cold, beautiful girl.

“Sorry, your shoes or feet might get a little wet, but it’ll be okay.”

Watching Xie Shuyun turn around and lean forward, Cheng Lingxue wondered how she had ever agreed to this crazy idea.

“Quick, get on! We have to go.” Because the rain was so loud, Xie Shuyun had to shout. She stood on the outside to shield Cheng Lingxue, noting that she was already damp and her shoes were soaked through.

Since she had been carried by her before, Cheng Lingxue didn’t want to be overly dramatic. Gritting her teeth, she leaned forward and draped herself over Xie Shuyun’s back.

Feeling the weight, Xie Shuyun couldn’t help but wonder—she’d given her so much tonic soup, why was she still so light?

Of course, she only thought it; now wasn’t the time to say it.

Xie Shuyun adjusted her position, hooking her arms under Cheng Lingxue’s knees to ensure she wouldn’t fall. Then she raised the umbrella, ignoring whether she was covered or not, and held it firmly over Cheng Lingxue.

“Just hold onto the back of my clothes. If you wrap your arms around my neck, you’ll get wet. Hold on tight, okay? Tell me if there’s any problem.”

After multiple instructions, although Cheng Lingxue didn’t reply, Xie Shuyun felt the grip on her clothes tighten. A smile flashed in her eyes. She looked up, squinting at the gloomy sky, and shouted:

“Here we go!” With that, the girl took a long stride and sprinted out.

Splash-splash-splash. Her shoes hit the water-covered road. The girl nimbly dodged other rushing pedestrians and leapt over puddles.

Rain pelted her head and face, streaming down. Despite being a mess, there was a strange sense of exhilaration in the speed, causing Xie Shuyun to let out a bright, boisterous laugh as she ran.

If others hadn’t been so busy seeking shelter, this scene surely would have made many stop and stare.

On Xie Shuyun’s back, Cheng Lingxue felt it most clearly. Although the running and dodging were intense, she barely felt any jolts; Xie Shuyun was protecting her remarkably well.

Perhaps due to the exertion, a faint scent of rum drifted from Xie Shuyun’s rain-slicked neck. A complex look surfaced in Cheng Lingxue’s eyes. She had to admit… being protected felt really good… it was something she had always hoped for, but which had always been taken away from her.

With that thought, her grip on Xie Shuyun’s collar tightened even more.