Title: The OOC Villainess and the White Moonlight Heroine are BFFs
Translator: Little Bamboo Spirit
Chapter 36 - He felt that his sister's relationship with Shuyao couldn't be that simple (2)
Jiang Shuyao was outside in the cold wind. She thought Yue Xia and Shi Qingyin were talking about private matters that they didn't want her to know about, so she politely stood far away from the hospital room.
However, in less than five minutes, Yue Xia poked her head out and waved at her. "Come here."
Her eyes lit up, and she slowly walked over. "Are you done talking?"
"Mhm." Yue Xia said, "I didn't say much. I just accidentally laughed at him."
Jiang Shuyao awkwardly rubbed her face. "I didn't mean to ask you that…"
However, she still felt valued that Yue Xia would proactively explain.
"Qingyin." Jiang Shuyao saw Shi Qingyin's angry expression and leaned closer. She still couldn't hide her guilty conscience. "I won't bother you anymore. I'll make bone soup for you in the next few days, okay?"
Shi Qingyin saw her concerned expression and was moved. He mustered up the energy to gently hold her hand. "Shuyao, don't take it too seriously. This was just an accident. Our relationship won't change just because of this…"
Jiang Shuyao slightly frowned. She didn't expect Shi Qingyin to say such words. She reached out to touch his forehead, but Shi Qingyin instinctively flinched back and with such momentum that he almost fell off the bed with the bedpan.
The mood froze.
Jiang Shuyao: "..."
Shi Qingyin: "..."
Yue Xia: "..."
Such a familiar scene, such a familiar move. It was just that person had changed. Perhaps, this was fate.
***
When they were taking the elevator down, Jiang Shuyao was still mumbling, "Sure enough, what I did was wrong…"
What happened just now dealt her a heavy blow. She began to feel dejected again.
Yue Xia pressed the elevator button. "Do you want to go back?"
"No." Jiang Shuyao shook her head, feeling bitter. "Qingyin's mother… seemed very angry."
When the call connected last night, the other party's tone was still calm. His mother said she would rush back by tomorrow. However, Jiang Shuyao still remembered what happened that afternoon several years ago. It took years for her to get over that sharp pain, and she still vividly remembered it.
"She probably doesn't want to see me," Jiang Shuyao said, "So I want to rent a room nearby so that it'll be easier to take care of Qingyin."
Yue Xia: "..."
[Oh no, system.] Yue Xia spoke with conviction. [He's pretending to be injured to gain her sympathy. Shuyao is the type of person to apologize 300 times if she bumps into someone. With Shi Qingyin's current state, how could she possibly leave?]
The system: [He's fractured three ribs and you're saying he's pretending?]
Yue Xia: [It's called using your opponent's trick against them. It seems he's not as stupid as I thought.]
The system: [Did you not hear him sighing in relief as you two left? If you two stay, his mother might have to come to collect his corpse.]
Yue Xia: "?" Why was the system speaking in such a rebellious manner lately? Was it growing up?
Anyways, she was already here and had plenty of free time to walk around, so she followed Shuyao. It was a bit dangerous for a young woman to go apartment hunting by herself. After visiting a bunch of places, she discovered that Shuyao didn't have any street smarts.
"There's too much foot traffic in this apartment. There are too many households sharing one elevator. It's not safe. And listen to this poor soundproofing." Yue Xia knocked on the wall. "This is a shared wall with your neighbor. When your neighbors fart, you'll be able to hear it. And this kitchen, didn't you say you're going to cook soup? Any smell won't go away even after a day here."
Jiang Shuyao saw the agent's face turning color and hastily said, "It's okay. It's pretty good. Let's look around the apartment more."
"With the hospital's medical conditions, he doesn't need your company." Yue Xia disagreed. "Are you really going to live here for a few months to keep him company?"
Jiang Shuyao didn't waver. "Afterall, it's my fault he's like that…"
"Fine, alright." Yue Xia walked around. She couldn't be at ease with this place. "How about you stay at a hotel? At least the conditions will be better."
Jiang Shuyao pursed her lips for a long time before saying with embarrassment, "My salary isn't high… I can't afford it."
Yue Xia looked at her in surprise before remembering that Shuyao didn't use Shi Qingyin's money.
When Shuyao was studying abroad, she was working while studying. She was naturally frugal and didn't care much about material desires. She was fine as long as her basic physiological needs were met. Her wages were enough to cover her expenses.
Even after dating Shi Qingyin again, she left the luxury items that Shi Qingyin gave her alone. She kept them well preserved and hardly used them. She paid special attention to paying separately. It was probably to preserve her little bit of self-esteem.
She didn't use Shi Qingyin's money, so she thought that others would see them as equals. She thought that she was independent. She hadn't benefited from being in a relationship with him. On the contrary, she had lost a lot. And yet, others treated her as a social status climber and praised her for her good fortune.
… It was one thing that others viewed her that way, but even Shi Qingyin viewed her that way too.
Yue Xia was silent for a moment before saying, "Otherwise, how about you stay at my home for now?"
Jiang Shuyao didn't even consider it. "That's not good…"
"The guest room is already ready. You won't even have to move anything. It only takes half an hour to get to the hospital from my home, and it's close to your job, so you won't have to take time off." Yue Xia lowered her head to look at Shuyao. Her clear, big eyes were relaxed. "Of course, you have to pay me rent."
Jiang Shuyao felt it was inappropriate to live at Yue Xia's for free, and she thought it was fine to pay rent. She hesitated for a while. Holding her wallet, she finally stammered, "I-If I won't be a bother."