Chapter 32
Before Shen Shu could reply, Cai Ying emerged from the bathroom and, seeing them standing so close together, gave them a knowing look.
“Well, well,” she said, a teasing glint in her eyes.
Xu Jinnan: “…”
She glanced at the guest room, a compromise coming to mind. She casually picked up her glass, went to the kitchen island, filled it with water, and said, “Since you’re here, why don’t you two share the bedroom tonight? I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“Are you serious?” Cai Ying asked, grabbing Shen Shu’s arm. “Don’t worry, I’m not that clueless.”
“…” Her sincerity was undeniable.
She genuinely wanted to sleep in the guest room.
Shen Shu looked at Xu Jinnan, sensing something odd in her tone. She vaguely remembered Xu Jinnan helping her to bed and giving her medication last night, after which she had lost consciousness.
Then, Xu Jinnan had gone to take a shower. After that, she only remembered feeling incredibly hot and uncomfortable, unable to move, her body burning… She had woken up this morning feeling weak.
But looking at Xu Jinnan, she suspected something else had happened during that lost period of time.
It was a little past 5 p.m.
Cai Ying, pampered since childhood, had never cooked a meal in her life. She sat at the kitchen counter, playing on her phone, watching Shen Shu and Xu Jinnan.
The summer sun cast long shadows, a few faint rays of orange light illuminating the white countertop. Shen Shu was washing vegetables, and Xu Jinnan was chopping carrots.
Cai Ying opened her camera and took a picture.
Looking at Xu Jinnan’s skillful movements and precise knife work, she asked, “Xu Jinnan, are you secretly a commoner?”
Xu Jinnan didn’t look up, her chopping rhythm steady. “What do you mean?”
“Your knife skills are almost as good as my family chef’s.”
Xu Jinnan had considered this question herself when she first cooked here.
She had grown up in the lap of luxury, pampered by Lu Yun, her delicate hands earning her the nickname “Jade Fingers.”
She exuded an air of wealth and privilege.
Yet, her cooking was incredibly proficient, like someone who cooked regularly, not at all like a pampered heiress.
Shen Shu glanced at her.
Xu Jinnan paused. “What’s so surprising? I’m just talented.”
Cai Ying rolled her eyes, turning to Shen Shu. “She’s so shameless.”
Shen Shu observed Xu Jinnan’s reaction. Instead of getting angry, she simply smiled, seemingly accepting the joke.
Shen Shu continued washing the vegetables, the rhythmic chopping sounds and Cai Ying’s occasional jokes and gossip filling the air.
She found this casual atmosphere strangely comforting.
A strand of hair fell into her face, and she tried to tuck it behind her ear with her wet hand, but it kept falling back.
She was about to ask Cai Ying for a hairpin when Xu Jinnan stopped chopping, reached over, and tucked the strand behind her ear, then gave her the hairpin from her own hair.
Shen Shu paused, but Xu Jinnan had already resumed chopping, as if nothing had happened.
Cai Ying’s gaze darted between them, then she turned away, a scowl on her face. “Disgusting lovebirds!” she muttered, walking away.
Xu Jinnan looked up, puzzled. “?”
What’s wrong with giving her a hairpin?
She looked at Shen Shu, whose expression remained unchanged. “Her last breakup wasn’t very pleasant. She can’t handle displays of affection.”
It was understandable, considering a recent heartbreak.
“When did they break up?” Xu Jinnan asked casually.
“Last year.”
Xu Jinnan: “…”
“She’s sentimental.”
“…Right.”
After Shen Shu finished washing the vegetables, Xu Jinnan said, “Go keep her company. I can handle this myself.”
Shen Shu watched as Xu Jinnan placed the chopped carrots on a plate, then went to clean the shrimp.
Her movements were smooth and efficient as she peeled and deveined the shrimp.
Shen Shu looked away, going to the living room to talk to Cai Ying. Then, she changed the bedsheets in the guest room, then her own bedroom.
As she pulled back the covers, she felt something soft beneath her hand.
She picked it up. It was a nipple cover, the kind worn under a dress.
Shen Shu: “…?”
Her eyelashes fluttered, and the image of a sweaty Alpha body flashed through her mind. She looked down at her hand.
Last night… wasn’t a dream?
Half an hour later, four dishes were on the table – salt and pepper shrimp, fish-fragrant pork, stir-fried vegetables, and a mixed vegetable soup.
Despite Shen Shu’s earlier reassurance, Cai Ying hadn’t expected much. But after taking a bite of the fish-fragrant pork, she was surprised.
“I can’t believe how good this is,” she said, taking another shrimp.
Cai Ying, to her credit, was always honest.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly, glancing at Shen Shu. “Is it alright?”
The shrimp, freshly bought by Shen Shu, were tender and succulent, and Xu Jinnan’s seasoning was perfect.
Shen Shu nodded. “It’s good.”
After dinner, Shen Shu took the dishes to the sink.
Xu Jinnan followed her. “Find an excuse to tell her you two are sharing the bedroom tonight. I’ll sleep in the guest room,” she said again.
Shen Shu hesitated.
“Not tonight.”
“…?”
Shen Shu glanced at Cai Ying, who was playing on her phone in the living room. “I need to talk to you.”
Xu Jinnan: “?”
Here we go again.
She was starting to dread these “talks” and “questions.” They were never good news.
She remembered last night… Shen Shu clearly didn’t remember what had happened after she fainted. Shen Shu was sensitive; offering to sleep in the guest room a third time would seem deliberate.
Shen Shu might think she was avoiding her.
Fine, I’ll sleep on the floor.
Cai Ying, after playing on her phone for a while, groaned dramatically. “Help! I just got rid of one, and my dad found me another tutor. I don’t want to study! Why do I, a Chinese person, have to learn Russian?!”
“Your father wants what’s best for you. Your family’s business dealings require communication in foreign languages,” Shen Shu said, retrieving a container of ice cream from the refrigerator and handing it to Cai Ying. “Learning Russian will be beneficial when you take over the company.”
“But I don’t want to take over. I want to write novels! I want to be a writer!”
Xu Jinnan, scrolling through a report Zhou Pei had sent her, chuckled. “Be careful. A lot of writers starve to death.” It was a joke she had heard before.
“Starving to death is better than online classes,” Cai Ying retorted, taking a scoop of ice cream. “Besides, I’m not as smart as you. It’s too difficult, and these tutors are so boring, and they’re not even good-looking.” She turned to Xu Jinnan. “You understand, right?”
Xu Jinnan, caught off guard: “?”
“A beautiful teacher or an ordinary teacher. Which would you choose?”
“Beautiful,” Xu Jinnan replied without hesitation.
“See?!” Cai Ying exclaimed, as if she had found a kindred spirit. “Do you have any experience in this area? How can I convince my dad to find me a beautiful tutor?”
“With that attitude,” Shen Shu said, a hint of exasperation in her voice, “no wonder your father is worried about you. And even a beautiful teacher might not make the lessons interesting.”
Cai Ying shook her head, her light-colored eyes sparkling. “As long as she’s beautiful, even a dictionary would be exciting.”
Shen Shu: “…”
“Xu Jinnan, do you agree?”
Shen Shu suddenly looked at her, and Xu Jinnan met her gaze. “I… guess so.”
Xu Jinnan decided it was best to leave them alone. She realized Shen Shu treated Cai Ying more like a younger sister than a friend, often taking on the role of a guiding older sister.
It was best to stay out of their way when they were having a “sisterly” moment.
She wasn’t good with children; she might corrupt them.
She took a quick shower and changed out of the pink dress, relieved to find her black T-shirt from yesterday had dried.
She returned to Shen Shu’s bedroom and sat on the armchair by the window.
The sound of their conversation and laughter drifted in from the living room.
She checked her phone. Song Ronghui had indeed visited the Rongcheng Special Ward last night, the results not surprising.
But before proceeding with her plan, she had to consider another possibility – Yin Xue definitely had something on the original Xu Jinnan. She might do something drastic after this.
That was why she had let Yin Xue go the first time, at the hospital.
The second time, at the Emperor Hotel, she had been prepared for Yin Xue to reveal her secrets, but for some reason, she hadn’t.
This third time, Yin Xue had only Song Ronghui left to manipulate. If Song Ronghui fell, Yin Xue, with nothing left to lose, might become unpredictable.
If it wasn’t for Yin Xue’s relentless attacks, Xu Jinnan wouldn’t have resorted to such drastic measures. Yin Xue’s feelings for the original Xu Jinnan were genuine, and their relationship, however twisted, had been a form of equilibrium.
But pity didn’t negate her malice.
Xu Jinnan knew she couldn’t avoid this, or remain indifferent, like before.
She was Xu Jinnan now, indistinguishable from the original in the eyes of others.
Showing weakness would only encourage further attacks.
It was almost 8 p.m. when Cai Ying, groaning dramatically, went to the guest room.
Xu Jinnan had just learned that Cai Ying had online classes. She watched as Shen Shu entered the bedroom and closed the door.
Shen Shu hesitated, then walked over to her, lowering her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Jinnan asked, looking up.
“Last night… I was delirious. Did I do something?”
“No,” Xu Jinnan replied, rubbing her fingertips. “You slept very well.”
Shen Shu looked at her, searching her eyes. “Really?”
Xu Jinnan couldn’t maintain eye contact, her gaze flickering.
She wasn’t sure if Shen Shu remembered anything. “Why do you ask? Feeling guilty?” she asked playfully.
Shen Shu didn’t reply. She still wasn’t sure if Xu Jinnan was an Alpha or an Omega, but based on her fragmented memories from last night, she had been the one… taking advantage of Xu Jinnan.
The thought was absurd.
She wanted to facepalm.
Seeing her serious expression, Xu Jinnan couldn’t help but smile. She stood up, coughing slightly. “…Don’t worry about it. It was just a hug.”
Shen Shu: “…”
As Xu Jinnan stood up, her height advantage became apparent.
Shen Shu instinctively wanted to step back, but then stopped, meeting Xu Jinnan’s gaze.
“Who hugged whom?”
Had Shen Shu forgotten her initial question? Or did she want Xu Jinnan to spell it out? Was she actually feeling guilty?
Xu Jinnan suddenly found her endearing. She lowered her head slightly. “If I had hugged you, would I admit it?”
Shen Shu: “…”
“Shu Shu! Pencil!” Cai Ying suddenly burst through the door. From her perspective, it looked like Xu Jinnan was about to kiss Shen Shu.
“Ugh, disgusting lovebirds!” she exclaimed, slamming the door shut.
Xu Jinnan: “…”
Shen Shu: “…”
Shen Shu bit her lip.
Xu Jinnan’s gaze lingered on her lips, their shape full and alluring, the color like a red rose blooming in water.
Her scent gland tingled.
Sensing their proximity, Xu Jinnan straightened up, not wanting to lie to Shen Shu, and afraid of further questions. “It was nothing. You were burning up and almost rolled off the bed, so I pulled you back.” That was the gist of it.
“Then why was this in my bed?” Shen Shu asked, holding up the small, pink object.
Xu Jinnan stared at it. “…” So that’s where it had gone. It must have fallen onto the bed when she carried Shen Shu back.
How could she explain this?
Tell her she had been touching her, removing her clothes?
She didn’t want Shen Shu to see that side of her.
“I don’t know. Maybe it fell out when you were changing,” she said casually, looking away and checking her phone. “What are you thinking? You’re so proper. You wouldn’t do anything to me.”
Shen Shu looked at her for a moment, then dropped the subject, placing the object on Xu Jinnan’s lap and leaving to get Cai Ying her pencil.
She seemed to have believed her.
Back in the living room, Cai Ying was watching an online English lesson, dramatically covering her eyes as Shen Shu entered. “Oops, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Didn’t expect you two to start so early.”
Shen Shu: “…Do you still want the pencil?”
“Yes, yes,” Cai Ying said, taking the pencil and opening another link on her tablet.
Shen Shu sat with Cai Ying for a while. As the only child in the Cai family, Cai Ying carried high expectations, but she was still young and easily distracted.
Her main interests seemed to be reading and writing novels.
Shen Shu had glanced at the novel Cai Ying was reading the other day. The title, Transmigrated as the Scumbag Alpha in a Contract Marriage with the Female Protagonist, didn’t sound serious.
And the page she had seen had made her think it was an erotic novel.
Cai Ying had explained the plot, saying the top was an Omega and the bottom was an Alpha, and this kind of Omega-dominant relationship was popular. They were even adapting it into a drama.
“Shu Shu?”
Shen Shu snapped out of her thoughts and answered Cai Ying’s question, then took a deep breath. For some reason, thinking about the “popular” dynamic Cai Ying had described, even though the situation in the novel was completely different from her own, had conjured a rather suggestive image in her mind.
She knew Xu Jinnan hadn’t told her the whole truth.
And she could guess what had actually happened.
She sighed, feeling a strange sense of guilt, as if she had taken advantage of Xu Jinnan, who had then spent the night taking care of her… Morally, she couldn’t treat her too badly.
Twenty minutes later, after Cai Ying’s online class ended, she lay down on the bed and saw a payment confirmation on Shen Shu’s phone. “What did you buy?”
“Pajamas.”
“Oh, let me see.”
Cai Ying looked at the black dress on the screen. “That’s pretty. I like the color.”
Shen Shu turned off her phone. “It’s not for me.”
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