Title: The OOC Villainess and the White Moonlight Heroine are BFFs
Translator: Little Bamboo Spirit
Chapter 26 - Don't curse yourself to die young (1)
For lack of a better option, Shi Yunjian's friends could only hand over their gifts to him. The scene was overcast. It felt more like a funeral than a birthday celebration.
Jiang Shuyao quietly stood by Shi Qingyin's side. She felt exhausted.
This was her first attempt at expressing her dissatisfaction to Shi Qingyin, but the result was far from what she imagined. She used to think that he understood her, that he would understand deception would make her uneasy and angry. However, his initial response was perfunctory at first, followed by anger and shame that Yue Xia had exposed his lies. He felt puzzled by her unhappiness and thought she was making a big fuss over nothing.
During this long tug-of-war, she started to doubt herself. Was she too sensitive? Was her determination in trying to get to the bottom of the matter wrong?
And also…
Jiang Shuyao's gaze drifted over to Yue Xia, and their eyes met. She saw Yue Xia winking at her.
Jiang Shuyao: "..."
She angrily looked away. Why was Yue Xia so happy? She was feeling so sad!
Shi Qingyin just wanted to quickly go through the motions of celebrating his birthday and leave. His love life was a tangled mess. It would be better to celebrate his birthday on another day, but the cake had been ordered, the gifts had been delivered, and Shi Yunjian was sitting next to them.
In this eerie mood, everyone awkwardly sang the birthday song like well-behaved elementary school students. Shi Qingyin was focused on Yue Xia. Seeing that she finished singing the song, not only did he not feel relaxed, he felt his right eyelid wildly twitching.
Sure enough, Zhuang Xiaohan was still a child at heart. She shouted, "Shi-gege, make a wish!"
At this moment, Yue Xia slowly said: [System, I'm starting ~]
"Ahem, uhm." Shi Qingyin just wanted this to be over. He simply said, "This cake is quite nice. Where did you the swan cake topping come from-"
Yue Xia interrupted, "You just said swan, right?"
Shi Qingyin: "Huh?"
"Speaking of swans, that reminds me of the girl that went with you on a three-day trip to Jeju Island." Yue Xia clapped her hands. "Her neck was as beautiful as a swan's."
Shi Qingyin: "?"
Shen Yu: "?"
Zhuang Xiaohan: "?"
Jiang Shuyao abruptly turned her head. She was incredulous.
"No, what are you talking about? I don't remember anything like this." Shi Qingyin was about to start sweating. He spoke faster. "Now that I'm a year older, I…"
"You just said you grew up, right?" Yue Xia was as swift as a clap of thunder in following up. "Speaking of growing up, has the piglet that you and Qiqi raised grown up yet? I heard the piglet has grown to half the size of a hut. When are you going to bring it home?"
Jiang Shuyao's eyes widened even more. "???"
Wasn't Yue Xia his only ex-girlfriend…?
"Can you shut up?! When did I f*cking do that with Qiqi…" Shi Qingyin's forehead was wet with sweat. He looked at Jiang Shuyao in panic. He cut himself off and tried to fix things. "What I meant to say is that it's a new year. I already have a loving partner that I want to spend my life with, so my wish is simple."
This time, Yue Xia didn't interrupt him.
"In the coming year." Shi Qingyin took a deep breath and affectionately looked at Jiang Shuyao's stunned face. "I hope all your troubles will disappear."
His tone was extremely earnest. He sounded like he really meant these words and would follow through with his intention just like when they were in high school.
Jiang Shuyao's expression wavered for a moment. At this moment, Yue Xia faintly said something.
"Today is a day of celebration," Yue Xia repeated, "Don't curse yourself to die young."
Shi Qingyin: "..."
Shi Yunjian: "..."
Other people: "..."
Shi Qingyin witnessed Jiang Shuyao, who had refused to smile at him these past several days, giggle in amusement.
Shi Qingyin's face was almost purple.
He knew it. Yue Xia didn't come here with good intentions. And yet, that damn Shi Yunjian was still silently sitting there. He was full of anger, but he couldn't vent that anger. He could only grit his teeth and growl, "Yue Xia-"
Yue Xia looked around. "Who started a motorcycle?"
Shi Qingyin: "..."
The most terrifying thing was that Shuyao actually smiled at her joke. Although Shuyao's smile was fleeting, her unusual reaction flustered Shi Qingyin.
Shouldn't she be angry? Why was she smiling? Did she not take Yue Xia's words seriously? That would be for the best. It would save him the hassle of explaining later.
The mood froze again.
Shen Yu was spacing out as usual. The crew cut guy widened his eyes. Zhuang Xiaohan was fidgeting. There was superficial harmony, but their thoughts were turbulent.
What the hell? What was up with this tit for tat feeling?!
That by itself would be fine, but the target of Yue Xia's ire was wrong! They didn't want to see their friend and Yue Xia fighting. They wanted to see Yue Xia and Jiang Shuyao confronting each other. Why was Shi Qingyin the one being unilaterally beaten?!
In the silence, only the kind-hearted Jiang Shuyao spoke up. Her expression was fathomless. She only said, "Keep your wish for yourself."
Shi Qingyin didn't get the answer he wanted. He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"You can't even be honest with me." Jiang Shuyao wearily said, "How can we spend the rest of our lives together?" Her tone was quite peaceful without even a hint of hostility. Her voice was quiet like a gentle sigh. If they weren't paying attention, they wouldn't even be able to clearly hear her.
And yet, Shi Qingyin acted as if she had stabbed him. Frowning, he said, "Why are you starting that up again? Haven't you had enough of digging up the past?"
Jiang Shuyao no longer had the energy to argue with him. She lowered eyes. "Never mind."
Shi Qingyin angrily laughed. "Stop, when have I ever mistreated you? Who arranged for your mother to have the best medical resources when she was hospitalized? Who got you your job? I've worked so hard for your matters. I've never asked you for anything in return. Look at how you're treating me now. You're fussing over such a small matter. Well?"
He didn't seem to feel any need to be careful about what he was saying in front of other people.
Jiang Shuyao's face paled, but she didn't back down. "I know you helped me a lot, but I could have clearly done those things myself…"
T/N: For extra context, it's later revealed that Jiang Shuyao doesn't like her current job and had the opportunity for a higher paying job that she would have enjoyed more, but Shi Qingyin pressured her into this low-paying teaching job.