After Transmigrating as a Scumbag Alpha, I Marked the Crazy Hotshot – Chapter 47
by Little PandaNever Crossed the Line
At three in the afternoon, Cheng Jiqing navigated directly to the amusement park’s construction site.
Several managers from Cheng Corporation were standing by the roadside holding umbrellas, waiting for her—due to her status, and of course, also because of Cheng Jing’s imposing presence.
After the hospital incident last time, Cheng Jing had indeed reduced her contact with Cheng Jiqing, but her concern for her younger sister remained. She had sent a message before Cheng Jiqing came, reminding her to just take a look and not stay too long.
In this weather, staying outside for too long indeed made one prone to heatstroke.
Cheng Jiqing got out of the car, took the umbrella from one of the managers, and heard him say, “Director Bai has already arrived. She’s inside looking around.”
Cheng Jiqing followed the direction the manager pointed. Not far ahead, Bai Xin was standing outside the construction site, talking to someone beside her. Someone else was holding a black umbrella for her, obscuring half of her side profile.
A tasteful dark green long dress, a slender figure; the surrounding gray-white rubble lent her a beauty that was both sharp and fragile.
Perhaps someone had informed her, as Bai Xin turned her head to look over.
That gaze was incredibly cold; even if it was because outsiders were present, it was excessively chilly.
Cheng Jiqing thought to herself, this look made it seem as if she were the one who had slept with Bai Xin and left, not the other way around.
Baffling.
Cheng Jiqing and the Cheng Corporation people walked over. “Director Bai, you’re really early,” she greeted.
Bai Xin had already averted her gaze. “Mm.”
“…”
This time, Cheng Jiqing truly perceived that coldness.
The group walked towards the interior of the construction site. They needed to walk around to get a general overview.
The ground at the site had been broken, but construction hadn’t yet begun; yellow hazard warning tapes were everywhere.
A subordinate went to get water. Bai Xin walked ahead without an umbrella.
Cheng Jiqing moved closer, the blue umbrella shielding Bai Xin’s head from the scorching sun. She asked in a low voice, “What’s the meaning of this?”
They were walking at the very front. Because they were speaking in low voices, the people behind them tactfully didn’t follow too closely.
Bai Xin’s gaze lowered, and she immediately saw the string of white jade bodhi seed beads on Cheng Jiqing’s snow-white wrist. She said, “Came from home?”
“No, I came after eating out.”
And you ate with Qin Yufu, didn’t you?
Bai Xin’s expression suddenly darkened further.
After Cheng Jiqing finished speaking, she remembered the cat café incident and was about to add something when Bai Xin’s next words interrupted her.
“Is that so? Little CEO Cheng certainly has a lot of leisure and refined taste.”
What was so leisurely or refined about her having a meal? Cheng Jiqing said softly, “…What are you so angry about? I haven’t even gotten angry yet, what are you angry about?”
Bai Xin turned her head and retorted, “What are you angry about?”
“You…” Before she could finish, Cheng Jiqing pressed her lips together.
‘You come, sleep with me, and then leave, using an urgent matter as an excuse, and you think I shouldn’t be angry? You’re being inexplicably passive-aggressive towards me, and I can’t be angry?’
She had almost forgotten there were other people behind them; those words had nearly slipped out.
Cheng Jiqing bit her lip. She shouldn’t have taken that step forward back then. Why was she looking for this kind of suffering now?
Bai Xin took a step out from under her umbrella.
Cheng Jiqing then stood with the Cheng Corporation people, occasionally exchanging a few words. Both sides noted down the key issues. The sun was scorching, so once they had seen enough, they started heading back.
A subordinate came over carrying a bag of water and handed a bottle to Cheng Jiqing. He was probably new, giving water to the Cheng Corporation leader first and not considering the Bai Corporation people opposite them.
Cheng Jiqing glanced at Bai Xin and offered the bottle in her direction.
At the same time, Bai Xin’s own subordinate also handed water to Bai Xin from the side.
Just like that, there were two bottles of water in front of her.
Bai Xin’s eyes swept over Cheng Jiqing’s hand, and the next second, she took the bottle from her subordinate.
Cheng Jiqing retracted her hand, turned around, twisted open the cap, and took a few sips, saying nonchalantly, “Let’s go.”
Fine then.
If she were to try and get close again, her self-respect and that bit of pride would feel disrespected.
She had a good temper, but not to the point of being a simp.1
The hot, dry wind cooled some of the sweat in her hair, but the temperature elsewhere rose due to her irritation.
Cheng Jiqing walked forward with the Cheng Corporation people without saying a word. Behind her, Bai Xin watched Cheng Jiqing’s back from under her umbrella; the white shirt was particularly glaring under the sunlight.
She had wanted to suppress her anger and ask clearly, but when she got near Cheng Jiqing, she couldn’t help but want to vent.
The sun beat down, making one feel restless and irritable; even the blowing wind seemed to carry fire.
Thinking of the words Cheng Jiqing hadn’t finished saying earlier, Bai Xin squeezed the mineral water bottle in her hand until it crinkled faintly…
With a little thought, she could figure out what Cheng Jiqing was angry about.
Other than her leaving in the middle of the night last night, there was nothing else.
But wasn’t Cheng Jiqing also hiding things from her?
The group walked out of the construction site. By the roadside, a black Maybach honked its horn. Cheng Jing got out of the driver’s seat, still in standard professional attire.
The Cheng Corporation people respectfully called out, “Director Cheng.”
Bai Xin, who had come up from behind, paused when she saw Cheng Jing and also greeted her.
Cheng Jing nodded, then looked at Cheng Jiqing and said, “I was passing by, so I came to take a look. Get in my car; we can go for dinner in a bit.”
Cheng Jiqing wasn’t in a good mood, but she still nodded in agreement.
It was probably because she remembered waking up last night to find the space beside her empty. She somewhat empathized with the disappointment Cheng Jing must have felt when she went to the hospital and couldn’t find her younger sister.
In a way, what she and Bai Xin did were two different things with the same underlying effect.2
She, a scum younger sister.
Bai Xin, a scum XX.
Asking one of the managers to drive her car back, Cheng Jiqing got into Cheng Jing’s car.
Bai Xin watched Cheng Jiqing get into the car.
From beginning to end, until the car drove away, Cheng Jiqing didn’t look back at her even once.
She bit her lip, and when she released it, the color was even deeper than her original lipstick.
Yesterday, things were still fine. But after just one night, they had returned to a low point.
Cheng Jiqing and Cheng Jing went to a Western restaurant.
Cheng Jing ordered foie gras steak; Cheng Jiqing ordered baked escargots and a salad. She didn’t have much of an appetite and ate even less.
The red wine was from Cheng Jing’s private stock. Cheng Jiqing only asked for a little to taste; her alcohol tolerance was only good for that small amount.
“Next time, don’t go when it’s this hot. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” Cheng Jing said.
Cheng Jiqing nodded, not being coy at all.
She thought so too; this wasn’t her main line of work anyway. And thinking about the situation with Bai Xin today, she wouldn’t want to go through that a second time.
“Very tired?”
“It’s alright.” Cheng Jiqing paused for a moment, then said, “Maybe because it’s not something I like, I’m not that passionate about it.”
Hearing this, Cheng Jing’s expression softened.
Cheng Jiqing speaking her inner thoughts to her so calmly gave her the illusion of returning to the past.
Cheng Jing said, “I still hope you can come to the company. Especially those old shareholders; it wouldn’t hurt you to connect with them more.”
Cheng Jiqing shook her head. “Things I don’t like are just like people I don’t like; you can’t force it.”
A nerve twitched in Cheng Jing. A faint, complex emotion flickered in her eyes. She put down her knife and fork and asked, “Then tell me, what do you like?”
It had to be said sooner or later.
Cheng Jing would find out about her going into acting sooner or later.
Cheng Jiqing took a small sip of wine, wiped her mouth, and said seriously, “I’m going to act in films.”3
She said ‘going to,’ not ‘want to.’
Amidst her shock, Cheng Jing very clearly understood the implication—Cheng Jiqing didn’t want her to say no, and even if she did… it would be useless.
Cheng Jing was silent for a long moment. After downing her glass of wine, she said, “Chengcheng.”
“I’ve thought it through. This is what I like to do,” Cheng Jiqing anticipated what she was going to say.
Cheng Jing had thought of everything, but she had never imagined that Cheng Jiqing would want to go into acting…
She looked into Cheng Jiqing’s eyes. Those fox-like eyes were very similar to Cheng Lan’s; when expressionless, they appeared cold and stern.
She was certain she didn’t see even a hint of a joke in them.
Cheng Jiqing was serious.
Another half-minute of silence.
Cheng Jing said, “If you really like it, then go ahead.”
Cheng Jiqing was slightly surprised. This time, she genuinely smiled at Cheng Jing. She had been prepared for Cheng Jing not to accept.
Of course, even if she didn’t accept, she wouldn’t care; she wasn’t relying on the Cheng family to support her now anyway.
“Cheng Corporation also has investments in talent agencies…”
“Don’t, please don’t arrange anything for me.” How could Cheng Jiqing not understand what that meant? If she needed arrangements, would she have waited until now?
She could even throw money4 at opening one herself.
But that would require a lot of mental effort.
If she directly contacted a talent agency invested in by Cheng Corporation, with the Cheng family’s backing so prominently displayed, they would definitely interfere a lot in her affairs.
She didn’t like either option.
Right now, she just wanted to purely act, to do what she liked.
She could succeed on her own before, and she could do it again now.
For her, starting over was a kind of enjoyment.
Mozart’s piano music played in the restaurant, soothing and relaxing.
Cheng Jing said, “Chengcheng, you’ve changed.”
Cheng Jiqing wasn’t the original owner of the body, so she subconsciously felt a twinge of guilt. However, Cheng Jing continued, “But you also seem to have returned to how you were as a child—serious, pursuing what you like. It’s just that I never knew when my younger sister fell in love with acting.”
Cheng Jing said, “Was it from that time?”
Cheng Jiqing asked, “What time?”
Cheng Jing’s eyes flickered slightly. She didn’t continue, instead changing the subject, “Then, do you still want to do this project?”
Cheng Jiqing didn’t hesitate, nodding. “Yes, that amusement park is quite good.”
She didn’t want to affect Bai Xin’s side; she wasn’t as heartless as Bai Xin.
“Alright. Bai Corporation hasn’t been doing well recently. Within Bai Corporation, only Bai Xin has some business sense.”
“What happened to Bai Corporation?”
“You should know about the Y2 Project.” Seeing Cheng Jiqing nod, Cheng Jing said, “Half of Bai Corporation’s core personnel responsible for this project have left. If this continues, I’m afraid their operating system for the project will collapse.”
Cheng Jiqing’s thoughts paused. “What happens if it collapses?”
Cheng Jing said without much emotion, “Then they’ll have no say. Y2 is a special grade land development project. Each company is responsible for a specific area. If Bai Zhaoliang can’t handle it, they’ll just have to be replaced. But in that case, Bai Corporation’s previous investment will be tied up until new funding enters… He definitely wouldn’t want that. So, he can only try to find ways to replace the outstanding core personnel, but that’s very difficult.”
To stabilize such a large project, core personnel weren’t people you could just find casually.
Even if he could find them, Bai Zhaoliang might not be able to wait that long.
After listening, Cheng Jiqing roughly understood. She gazed at the small amount of red wine left in her glass and said, “Then, can Cheng Corporation help?”
Cheng Jing looked up.
Initially, Bai Corporation wasn’t even qualified for this project. She didn’t know how Bai Zhaoliang got the news, but he came to her, begging to get in.
Now that he’d made such a mess of things, she had long wanted to kick him out.
Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time. But that didn’t stop her from watching Bai Zhaoliang suffer.
Cheng Jing asked, “You want to help?”
Cheng Jiqing said, “Aren’t we in a cooperative relationship? And I’ve interacted with Bai Xin twice recently… It would be a pity if Bai Corporation collapsed.”
“You have a good impression of her?”
“It’s just so-so.” Cheng Jiqing pouted, looking fierce. Changing her face every day, what’s so good about her.
Cheng Jiqing added with a smile, “I just appreciate talent.”
Looking at that smile, the corners of Cheng Jing’s mouth unconsciously curved into an arc. “Alright, if you say you want to help, I’ll definitely go along with you.”
Cheng Jing dropped Cheng Jiqing off downstairs at Nanjing Apartments.
Cheng Jing got out from the back seat and called out to Cheng Jiqing.
“Chengcheng.”
“Hm?”
Cheng Jing paused for a moment, then said, “In the future, talk to me more like you did tonight, okay?”
This was a sentence extremely out of character for Cheng Jing. Whether it was Cheng Jiqing overthinking it or something else, in the coolly decisive CEO’s tone, there was actually a faint trace of pleading.
Cheng Jiqing came back to her senses. She even felt that the original owner’s biological sister was quite pitiful.
She said, “Okay, be careful on the road.”
Cheng Jiqing took the elevator to the twelfth floor.
She took out her phone. There were several WeChat messages on the screen. She opened them; they were from Song Ling.
She had gone to the opening of Fengling Hotel two days ago, but there were too many people that day, some of whom were the original owner’s former bad influences5, so she hadn’t stayed too long.
Song Ling: 【Cheng Jiqing, come out and play! MILK Bar, hurry up!】
Song Ling: 【Where are you? Where are you?】
Song Ling: 【You’ve changed, ah! You used to love places like this the most, why are you so unenthusiastic now!】
There were also two missed voice calls after that.
Cheng Jiqing thought, if passion meant loving to jump around6, then she indeed didn’t have it.
She replied that she wasn’t going, exited WeChat, saw the quiet SMS icon, paused for two seconds, and then quickly turned off her phone.
She didn’t plan to look for Bai Xin.
Anyway, when Bai Xin needed her, she would come on her own.
Bai Xin came the next day at noon.
When she arrived, Cheng Jiqing was chopping vegetables for a salad, planning to go to the dance studio after eating.
Bai Xin changed her shoes and walked in, stopping more than two meters away from her.
After a glance, Cheng Jiqing lowered her head again and continued chopping vegetables.
“Cheng Jiqing.”
“Go ahead,” Cheng Jiqing said calmly.
“Before you went to the construction site yesterday, you were with Qin Yufu.”
It was a very sudden statement, not even within Cheng Jiqing’s expectations.
Cheng Jiqing was stunned for a moment, then turned her head and said, “We were together. We ran into each other at a cat café.”
“Just ran into each other?”
“What are you trying to say?” Cheng Jiqing instantly understood, a chill creeping into her heart. “So, when you asked if I came from home, it was because you thought I was with Qin Yufu and then lied to you, and that’s why you treated me with that attitude?”
Bai Xin pressed her lips together. She believed Cheng Jiqing, but she just felt uncomfortable.
Even thinking about the scene of Cheng Jiqing and Qin Yufu playing with cats together made her feel unbearable.
Cheng Jiqing’s first sentence at the time hadn’t given her the answer she wanted, so she hadn’t been able to hold back.
She was always like this in front of Cheng Jiqing.
Bai Xin: “When I asked you, you said…”
Cheng Jiqing retorted, “Did you give me a chance to finish speaking?”
Cheng Jiqing was holding in her anger. She put down what she was holding and turned around completely. “I just ran into her at the cat café. You can go ask. Then I’d also like to ask Miss Bai, what was that urgent matter in the early morning?”
Bai Xin froze. From yesterday afternoon until just now, her heart hadn’t been settled.
Even though Cheng Jiqing had explained now, she still felt that something was wrong.
Her mood was extremely bad, unbearably7 restless.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t ask her about these things, including the matter of her hidden identity. If she didn’t say, Cheng Jiqing never asked.
It was probably also for this reason that she didn’t have to lie anymore, but now Cheng Jiqing was asking her very seriously…
Bai Xin’s brief silence let Cheng Jiqing know that her question was, once again, a difficult one for the other person.
“Have you noticed the problem between us? You’re always asking me, but you yourself never give me answers,” Cheng Jiqing said. “So, actually, there’s no need for me to answer everything either.”
Bai Xin habitually pinched the pad of her finger, transferring the agitation to physical pain.
Her voice was light and steady, but her heart was unsettled. “I’ll tell you in the future.”
Cheng Jiqing looked at her, silent for a long while. “It’s fine. No need.”
The air grew heavy.
Bai Xin’s phone was buzzing. She hung up the call. In such a tense moment, she knew deep down that she shouldn’t, and couldn’t, say it.
But she said it anyway.
“Don’t get involved in that Bai Corporation project,” Bai Xin lowered her voice. “I’ll handle it.”
Cheng Jing had sent a few professionals to help Bai Zhaoliang with the Y2 project, which had set back the progress of her plans. She was afraid that if Cheng Jiqing got further involved, Cheng Jing would definitely step in to help.
Now, she had to say it.
A dark cloud drifted over, temporarily obscuring the sun outside, and the room darkened.
Cheng Jiqing found it hard to find words to describe her mood. Staring at Bai Xin, she let out a laugh. “Alright.”
When Cheng Jiqing smiled, it had always been gentle. But today was different. For the first time, Bai Xin felt that she might lose her grip on Cheng Jiqing at any moment.
Cheng Jiqing lowered her head, untied the apron from her waist, and placed it on the table, her smile faint. “I won’t inquire about the Bai family’s affairs anymore.”
And a second sentence.
“Bai Xin, I don’t have much experience, so the process of getting along with you might have given me some wrong ideas. Now, I think it’s better if we go back to our previous relationship. It’s good for both you and me.”
Bai Xin took a light breath, her heart sinking. “What relationship…?”
Cheng Jiqing said, “A relationship that never crossed the line.”
The author has something to say:
Not angsty, not angsty, ah, really not angsty, just a little lovers’ tiff, everyone stay calm.
Chengcheng: Bye-bye.
Bai-jie (straining, exerting force, hugging, wrapping legs, kiss kiss): No!
LP: I don’t know, maybe being honest will solve all of your problems. But that’s just me, what do I know?
Footnotes
- Original: 舔狗 | tiǎngǒu | Literally “licking dog,” this is a derogatory internet slang term for a “simp” or someone who fawns over another person, often unrequitedly, to an excessive and demeaning degree.
- The original Chinese, 异曲同工 (yìqǔtónggōng), is an idiom meaning “different tunes played with equal skill” or “different methods achieving the same result.”
- The term “拍戏” (pāixì) broadly means to film, which includes acting in movies or TV shows.
- The term “砸钱” (záqián) literally means “to smash money,” implying spending a large amount of money, often extravagantly or to achieve a specific goal.
- Original: 狐朋狗友 | húpénggǒuyǒu | An idiom literally meaning “fox friends and dog companions,” referring to a group of disreputable friends or bad company.
- The word “蹦跶” (bèngda) means to hop or jump about, often energetically or playfully. Here, it’s used metaphorically to describe being lively or active in a social, party-going sense.
- The original Chinese, 无以复加 (wúyǐfùjiā), is an idiom meaning “to an extent that nothing can be added,” signifying an extreme or ultimate degree.
lmaao the note, ı agreee