After Transmigrating as the Scumbag Alpha in an Otherworld Novel, I Ended Up with the Villain - Chapter 29

Hearing the voice, Su Xinge buried her head even deeper into the bed and replied, “Thank you, I feel much better.”

At the very least, she had regained control of her body and realized exactly what she had just done. The previous sensation had been incredibly strange—like stepping on weightless clouds with no solid ground. She could perceive what she was doing, but she couldn’t rationally control her actions. Now, as fragmented memories trickled back into her mind, she was shocked that she had craved a hug so desperately. Her body hadn’t felt like her own; it was as if she had suddenly turned into a different person.

The recent events made Su Xinge’s head smoke with embarrassment; her toes curled in shame. Now, she just wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. Like a shallow beach where no ship could dock, she could be kind to others, but she was used to being alone and licking her wounds in solitude. Pain had never managed to crush her, but sharing that pain with someone else felt utterly impossible. Like a hideous, festering wound that had scarred over, the surface would always be covered by a layer of glamorous fur.

Lin Yuxuan heard Su Xinge’s polite and distant reply and knew she had recovered well. She walked closer and said, “Turn your head around. I’ll check your temperature.”

Su Xinge turned her head awkwardly, opened her eyes, and then snapped them shut again.

Lin Yuxuan pressed the back of her hand against Su Xinge’s forehead. “Don’t move this time.”

Feeling the coolness on her brow, Su Xinge kept her eyes shut tight and muttered, “It’s not like I have ADHD.”

She could control her body now. Although she still felt a lingering desire for the person before her, her brain was sharp enough to issue commands to suppress her physical instincts.

Lin Yuxuan withdrew her hand. “Much better. You don’t feel hot anymore.”

Su Xinge deliberated for a moment before asking, “Can you help me smell if there’s still a scent?”

Lin Yuxuan replied in a relaxed tone, “It’s basically gone. Otherwise, do you think I’d still be standing here?”

Satisfied with the answer, Su Xinge said, “That’s good.”

She knew the consequences of recklessly releasing her pheromones in a place like this, so she finally felt at ease. As her mood relaxed, her eyelids began to grow heavy.

Seeing Su Xinge’s exhausted face, Lin Yuxuan said, “Sleep for a while. The medicine is bound to make you a bit drowsy.”

“Mm…” Su Xinge nodded. Drowsiness swept over her, and she fell into a peaceful sleep.

In the first-floor hall, Ma Dong and the other two were tied up amid the clutter on the left. Zhang Tian paced back and forth, brandishing a wooden club.

Ye Hai pointed at Ma Dong, who was at the front, and asked, “Where is your other accomplice who was sniping from a distance? Did you have a rendezvous plan in case the mission failed?”

Ma Dong shook his head like a rattle. “I don’t know. We never discussed failure. We thought there were only three people here; who knew there would be so many powerful characters suddenly appearing?” As he spoke, Ma Dong stole a glance at Zhang Tian and Su San’s group in the corner.

Xiang Tiange let out a cold snort and cursed, “You treated us like lambs for the slaughter! Did you really think we were that easy to deal with?”

Ma Dong lowered his head and explained, “One of you was already injured; that’s the only reason we dared to come.”

Zhang Tian stopped pacing. “Was all that commotion last night your doing?”

Ma Dong’s expression shifted, the fat on his face trembling. He spoke with hesitation, “This… this, we aren’t sure about.”

“If you aren’t sure, then stop talking,” Xiang Tiange interrupted. She took a step forward and pointed at the person next to Ma Dong. “You answer. Did the events last night have anything to do with you?”

Li Cai, who was to Ma Dong’s right, had been trembling with her head down, not daring to speak. Seeing a shadow loom over her, she looked up slightly and asked cautiously, “What happened yesterday?”

Xiang Tiange rubbed her temples. “The commotion by the lake last night. Was it caused by your people?”

Li Cai understood the question. She stole a glance at Ma Dong, then immediately turned back, grit her teeth, and asked, “What do I get for telling you?”

Xiang Tiange raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected it to be this easy. “Did you participate in the previous two attacks against us?”

Li Cai shook her head frantically. “No! I promise I didn’t participate! And I didn’t cause any harm to you in this mission either!”

Xiang Tiange nodded. “I can let you leave here alive. But if I see you again next time, you’d better watch out.”

At that moment, Huang Yi, to Ma Dong’s left, suddenly shouted, “I know! I know too!”

Ye Hai stepped forward and covered Huang Yi’s mouth. “Mph… mph!” Huang Yi struggled, twisting his body.

Ye Hai signaled to Xiang Tiange. “Let’s question them separately.”

Understanding his intent, Xiang Tiange pulled a key from her pocket and threw it to Ye Hai. “This is the key to the dining room next door. You can take him in there. I’ll question this one out here.” Since there was very little food left in the snack shop and it was all hidden anyway, and because her opinion of the group had improved, she felt safe handing the key to Ye Hai.

Ye Hai nodded, took the key, and led Huang Yi into the small dining room along with the two men he had chosen from the base. He then shut the door.

Zhang Tian looked at Ma Dong and sighed. “If you won’t talk, someone else will. Why make it hard on yourself?”

Ma Dong looked up and said seriously, “Those two don’t know much. Questioning them won’t do you any good.”

Zhang Tian used his wooden club to lift Ma Dong’s slightly chubby chin. “But if you won’t talk, it makes you even more useless. A person only has value if they are willing to open their mouth.”

Ma Dong fell silent.

Zhang Tian stamped his foot. “What? You were willing to reveal your companion’s attack range—what else is there to hide?”

Ma Dong simply closed his eyes, acting like a “dead pig unafraid of boiling water.”

Seeing this, Zhang Tian asked Xiang Tiange, “Weren’t there two doors? Is it alright if I take him to the outer door?”

Xiang Tiange nodded. “No problem.”

Su San saw his chance and hurried over to Zhang Tian’s side like a sycophant. Together, they dragged Ma Dong toward the exit.

The hall grew quiet. Xiang Tiange stood directly in front of Li Cai, while Wang Qingyue leaned against the right-hand shelf.

“There’s no one else here now,” Xiang Tiange said. “You can speak.”

Li Cai began to organize her words, preparing to speak. Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, and Lin Yuxuan walked down.

Wang Qingyue was surprised to see her. “How are you down so soon?” They had only been separated for a few moments.

Lin Yuxuan explained, “She fell asleep. I saw there was nothing to do up there, so I came down.”

Wang Qingyue nodded. “You’re just in time. We’ve only just started the questioning.”

Xiang Tiange found a stool and sat down, saying to Li Cai, “You can tell us now.”

Li Cai glanced in the direction Ma Dong had been taken, then turned back and said in a low voice, “The people from last night were tricked into coming by Ma Dong and Gao Jian. Gao Jian is the other Awakened you mentioned. Everyone thought there were no zombies in here and that moving at night wouldn’t be dangerous. So Ma Dong and the others fooled that group into testing the waters. But no one expected the zombies here would be so active at night, and that they’d all be gathered together.”

Xiang Tiange frowned. “That’s it?”

Li Cai paused, then whispered conspiratorially, “That’s just what everyone knows on the surface. But the other day, I accidentally overheard Ma Dong and Gao Jian talking. Those people were actually from another base.”

Xiang Tiange asked hesitantly, “So you guys are also from a base?”

Li Cai shook her head. “No. We’re just a small group. Ma Dong and the others said the bases have too many rules, so they didn’t join one.”

Wang Qingyue straightened up. “How many people are in your gang? Do you specialize in this kind of highway robbery?”

Li Cai shifted her body back slightly. “I’ve never robbed anyone! Ma Dong said you stole the things they found first, so they just wanted to take them back.”

Xiang Tiange sneered. “So in your eyes, you’re the righteous side?”

Li Cai made a face and gave a charming smile. “There is no ‘righteous side.’ Everyone knows it’s about getting what you need. I just followed those two to get a meal. There’s no deep-seated hatred between us; there’s no need for a life-and-death struggle.”

Xiang Tiange waved her hand. “Since you didn’t participate in the first two attacks, we’ll let you go if what the other two say matches your story.”

Wang Qingyue asked cautiously, “How many people are in your group in total? How many Awakened?” She had to ensure the group wasn’t a threat before making a decision. Releasing a tiger back to the mountain could lead to a bigger disaster.

Li Cai answered cleverly, “Only about a dozen. But there are only two Awakened. Truly, they won’t be much of a threat to you. Both of our Awakened were here today, used an ambush, and still got caught. You can rest easy letting me go back.”

Xiang Tiange sneered. “You’ve sold your teammates out completely. Do you think there will be a warm welcome waiting for you if you go back?”

Li Cai spoke flatteringly, “If I’m the only one who goes back, no one will know I sold them out. I’ll just say I escaped in the chaos. And if you’re really worried, you don’t have to let me go; let me stay and help you out with chores or something.”

Xiang Tiange rolled her eyes. “Forget that.” She wouldn’t dare keep someone who could betray their comrades once, let alone twice or thrice.

On the second floor, Su Xinge snapped her eyes open. She had slept so deeply she thought she might never wake up, but a powerful sense of insecurity forced her to consciousness. She didn’t know how long she had slept, but the sky outside the window was already darkening.

Because she had been lying face down, her neck was stiff and sore, and her legs were numb. Su Xinge moved her neck gently and stretched her legs; the wound on her back still stung.

After a moment, she faced downward, carefully bent her knees, used the strength in her legs to push herself up, and moved to the edge of the bed. She set her feet on the floor and finally stood up. The series of movements was slow and deliberate. She stood for about two minutes until the numbness in her legs began to fade.

Her stomach began to growl. Su Xinge turned and opened the door. At the end of the corridor, in front of a glass window, a woman was leaning against the railing. Su Xinge stopped; she could only see the back, and it didn’t look like anyone she had met in the last two days.

Chen Rusheng heard the movement and turned around. Seeing her face, Su Xinge gasped in shock, “Te… Teacher?”

The woman’s face was as beautiful as a painting, her hair like dark ink spilled down her back. Although she was pale, Su Xinge remembered this face perfectly. Why does this person look exactly like my teacher?

Chen Rusheng looked surprised at first, then smiled. “I heard from Xiang Tiange that your name is Su Xinge, right?”

Su Xinge nodded dumbly. Two faces overlapped and separated; the person before her even had similar expressions to those in her memory. She couldn’t tell if she was in a dream or not.

“You’re injured, why aren’t you resting more? And… why are you calling me ‘Teacher’ just like Xiang Tiange and the others?” Chen Rusheng’s voice was gentle, the final syllable drawn out playfully.

Su Xinge scratched her head instinctively. “Then what should I call you?” She had subconsciously reverted to her student-mode in front of this woman. Even though it was the apocalypse, this familiar face brought her comfort. Her teacher in her memories was always like this—clearly a teacher, but with a gaze that was always gentle with a touch of childish playfulness.

Su Xinge didn’t have many close friends, but her teacher was one of them. Their relationship had been both mentor-student and friend-to-friend, though they had lost touch after Su Xinge entered her career.

The woman’s face dimpled as she smiled. “My name is Chen Rusheng. I’m definitely older than you, so you can call me ‘Big Sister’ (Jie).”

Su Xinge was successfully amused. “I’ll try my best.” Even though she had been close to her actual teacher, their titles remained formal. She felt too embarrassed to call someone who looked exactly like her teacher “Jie.”

But then, Su Xinge’s smile vanished, and she stood frozen as if struck by lightning. She realized they didn’t just look the same—they had the exact same name.

Chen Rusheng pouted. “What? You don’t want to?” Since the disaster, Chen Rusheng had been trapped in the school. she had been a teacher for so long that it was her only identity. It meant respect from others, but also a heavy burden of responsibility. Moreover, Chen Rusheng felt a strange sense of familiarity with Su Xinge, like an old friend she hadn’t seen in a long time. In front of her, she felt she could stop being so serious.

Seeing Chen Rusheng look slightly displeased, Su Xinge shook her head quickly. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just a bit embarrassed.”

Chen Rusheng smiled again. “If it’s not that you don’t want to, you’ll get used to it if you say it more often.”

Su Xinge looked down. “I’ll really try my best.”

Chen Rusheng reached out her hand. “Glad to meet you, little Su Xinge.” She had a splint on one leg and was using a crutch to stand; walking was still difficult. Since the distance between them was small, she didn’t move forward, but waited for Su Xinge to approach.

Su Xinge took two steps forward and shook her hand, smiling. “Me too.” Though she didn’t know why this was happening, a rare sense of warmth surged in her heart, like a reunion after a long separation.

Lin Yuxuan walked up the stairs carrying a can. She had a general understanding of the situation downstairs now. The drama of betrayal and being betrayed was being performed to the fullest. Everyone wanted to live; everyone wanted to live better. Everyone was pushing and shoving, stepping on shoulders and heads to climb higher. People plotted against each other yet never tired of it.

The interrogation was long and tedious; the group hadn’t even had time to eat yet. But Lin Yuxuan saw it was getting dark and thought Su Xinge might be hungry when she woke from her medicine-induced sleep, so she had come up with a free can gifted by Xiang Tiange.

Entering the hall, the sound of light laughter drifted from the depths. Lin Yuxuan paused her footsteps but continued forward with suspicion. The distance was too great to hear the specific words, but she was very familiar with one of the voices. Although the state of the voice was different, the timbre remained unchanged.

Crossing the hall and reaching the corridor entrance, Lin Yuxuan came to a dead stop. At the end of the hallway, she saw two people holding hands and talking happily. Then, Su Xinge put her arm around the woman and helped her into the room at the end.

Lin Yuxuan gripped the can tightly, biting her lower lip. Su Xinge had looked half-dead earlier, but now she was beaming and laughing with someone else.

Her nails dug into her palm. If she remembered correctly, the person standing next to Su Xinge was the teacher Xiang Tiange had mentioned. And… she was an Omega. Weren’t you severely injured and ‘inconvenient to disturb’? Why are you ‘disturbing’ your way into a room now? Alone with an Alpha who just passed their Sensitive Period!

Her previous good mood vanished. Lin Yuxuan had thought Su Xinge had changed, but it seemed she was still a scumbag Alpha through and through. Just moments ago, she was piteously begging for a hug, and now she was holding another Omega’s hand and snuggling together!

Lin Yuxuan realized she had severely underestimated Su Xinge’s tactics. In the last life, it was sweet talk mixed with violence. This life, the strategy had changed to playing weak to gain sympathy. And I actually almost believed she wasn’t faking it!

Her nose felt a bit stingy, but mostly her chest was filled with rage. Lin Yuxuan took a deep breath and marched toward the end of the corridor. She didn’t believe that in broad daylight, she couldn’t handle these two so-called “patients.”

Inside the clinic room, Su Xinge carefully helped Chen Rusheng onto the bed. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be walking around much. If you fall and reopen the wound, it’ll take even longer to heal.”

Chen Rusheng lowered her eyes, looking a bit dejected. “I’m sorry. You’re injured yourself, and I almost made you fall just now. I didn’t expect my stamina to be this weak.”

Su Xinge waved her off. “My injury is no big deal. It’s you I’m worried about. You should do some rehabilitation exercises later; you can’t just lie here forever.”

Chen Rusheng nodded, lying flat. “I’ve been thinking about that. But lately, I don’t know why, I’m always sleepy. I fall asleep as soon as I get drowsy.”

Su Xinge tucked the blanket around her. “If your body wants you to rest, then listen to your body. Sometimes the body knows how to regulate itself better than the brain.”

Chen Rusheng nodded, her eyes half-closed. “I can’t… I’m sleepy again,” she whispered. Su Xinge turned and saw that Chen Rusheng had already closed her eyes, her breathing steady as she fell asleep. She stood up to leave.

When Chen Rusheng had nearly fallen earlier, Su Xinge had scrambled to catch her, and the strain had caused the wound on her back to slightly reopen. It was throbbing painfully now.

Stepping out the door, she saw Lin Yuxuan approaching. Su Xinge spoke first: “I think I strained my wound just now. It hurts. Do I need to change the medicine?”

Lin Yuxuan curled her lips. No wonder she came out so fast; she strained her wound. Seeing Su Xinge waiting for an answer, she wanted to say more, but the pain forced Su Xinge to move. She hurried back into her room and collapsed onto her own bed.

Lin Yuxuan shot a glance at the neighboring room, then followed Su Xinge inside. She placed the can on the table. “No need for a change. I brought a can for you; eat it if you’re hungry.”

Su Xinge lay face down. “Thank you. But it hurts a bit right now. I’ll eat later.”

Lin Yuxuan leaned against the table, arms crossed over her chest. She said nonchalantly, “Maybe if you hug a few more Omegas, it won’t hurt anymore. Hugs can cure anything, can’t they?”

Su Xinge lifted her chin. She heard the barbs in the tone. “I didn’t… she almost fell, so I was just helping her in.”

“I didn’t hug her,” Su Xinge added.

Lin Yuxuan stood up and sneered, “Then is it that my eyesight is bad and I saw wrong?” They were practically glued together, and she says they didn’t hug. This scumbag’s excuses are beyond cliché.

Seeing Lin Yuxuan didn’t believe her, Su Xinge forced herself up and looked Lin Yuxuan in the eye. “Her leg is injured. She didn’t have the strength to stand and would have fallen easily. You can go look if you don’t believe me.”

Lin Yuxuan curled her lip. “I’m not that bored. Who cares if she ‘really’ fell or ‘fake’ fell? Or if you ‘really’ hugged or ‘fake’ hugged?” Besides, I saw it clearly. They didn’t just hug; they held hands.

Su Xinge moved closer to Lin Yuxuan. “I care.” She saw the coldness on Lin Yuxuan’s beautiful face. Besides that, she cared if Lin Yuxuan was unhappy.

Lin Yuxuan snorted and turned away. Su Xinge took two steps forward and hugged her, leaning half her weight on the woman.

“Thank you for being willing to hug me before,” Su Xinge said. “And thank you for worrying about my stomach.”