After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 11

You are the only one of your kind in this world…

“So happy?”

Zhu Lingyi leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, squinting slightly at Qin Shuyue’s newly changed white floral maxi dress. The corners of her mouth curled up imperceptibly, her emotions seemingly infected by the other girl’s joy.

Qin Shuyue nodded with a smile.

She lifted her hem and walked cautiously toward Zhu Lingyi. “I’m ready.”

Zhu Lingyi gave a soft “mm” and gestured toward the outside with her head.

“Mm, okay!”

Like a cheerful little sparrow, Qin Shuyue followed behind Zhu Lingyi with joyful leaps.

Zhu Lingyi walked in front while Qin Shuyue followed behind, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close. It seemed to represent her personal safety zone—not a step more, not a step less.

Zhu Lingyi’s gaze drifted back from time to time. Seeing her following slowly behind, she didn’t urge her to hurry.

“Uncle Wang.”

Zhu Lingyi took a card from her pocket and handed it to the man in front of her. “The usual place.”

Uncle Wang, dressed in a formal suit, bowed respectfully to the woman. “Yes, Little President Zhu.”

Zhu Lingyi nodded and said to Qin Shuyue, who was standing behind her, “This is my private underground garage. Usually, no one comes in here.”

“Ah… oh! Okay.”

Looking at Qin Shuyue’s expression, she seemed to have been in a daze throughout the entire journey—from leaving the room and getting on the elevator to stepping into the garage. It was as if she was lightheaded from happiness.

Qin Shuyue had never seen anything like this before…

It wasn’t until today that she realized one could actually own a private garage within the school.

“Get in.”

Zhu Lingyi dropped those simple words. Uncle Wang stepped forward and opened the rear door, shielding the top with his hand. After watching Zhu Lingyi enter the car, he turned and walked to the opposite door.

Aside from the two people who usually accompanied Zhu Lingyi, the “Little President” rarely brought others into her car. Therefore, Uncle Wang’s attitude toward this girl remained very respectful. He treated her exactly as he treated Zhu Lingyi.

“Miss, please get in.”

Uncle Wang pulled open the door, his hand protecting the roof to prevent Qin Shuyue from bumping her head.

The car door swung wide. At first glance, Qin Shuyue saw Zhu Lingyi leaning casually in the back seat, her legs naturally crossed, holding an English book and reading carefully.

The curve of her jaw was perfect—the most exquisite piece of art in the eyes of an art student; sharp, cold, yet touched with a hint of composure and elegance. Her jet-black, medium-length hair draped over her shoulders, with the strands at the back falling naturally. Every hair seemed to land in a meticulously chosen spot, making her appear serene yet emotionally detached.

The aura surrounding Zhu Lingyi was unique. Qin Shuyue had never felt such a distinct temperament from anyone else.

She stood frozen in place for an unknown amount of time until Uncle Wang urged her politely again, “Miss, it is getting late.”

Zhu Lingyi flipped through a few pages of the book, Principles of Economics. Noticing the commotion, she placed one hand on the page and held the spine with the other, lightly closing it as her gaze shifted toward Qin Shuyue.

A second before their eyes met, Qin Shuyue quickly lowered her head, avoided her gaze, and dove into the car.

Uncle Wang thoughtfully closed the door for her and then walked to the driver’s seat.

The vibration of the engine sounded through the car. Qin Shuyue sat next to Zhu Lingyi, with a gap of almost two seats between them.

She seemed very anxious, not knowing where to put her hands. One moment she was tidying her hair, the next she was smoothing her skirt, and then she was tightly gripping the door handle. This series of movements created quite a bit of noise in the car, making it impossible for Zhu Lingyi to focus on her book.

Zhu Lingyi rested her palm flat on the page, turned her head to the side, and stared at Qin Shuyue with a complicated look. She seemed to be wondering how someone could be so bored as to—quite literally—start playing with themselves in the car.

“Qin Shuyue,” Zhu Lingyi called her name, her tone devoid of emotion.

“Yes!”

At that moment, Qin Shuyue’s eyes were fixed on the door handle she was gripping. When she pulled, the handle moved out like a spring; when she pushed, it miraculously tucked back into the door.

This pulling and pushing had made quite a racket, so when Zhu Lingyi called her name, she looked incredibly guilty, like a thief caught in the act.

Qin Shuyue quickly let go of her hand and lowered her head guiltily to face Zhu Lingyi, fearing that the other girl would think she had dirtied the handle just by touching it.

Looking at Qin Shuyue’s startled-fawn expression, Zhu Lingyi let out a soft sigh. Though her tone lacked emotion, there was a trace of helplessness in it.

“Keep it down.”

“Okay, okay!” Qin Shuyue promised immediately.

Having been forbidden from moving around, Qin Shuyue had no choice but to sit quietly. Her large eyes darted around, scanning the interior of the car.

Qin Shuyue didn’t recognize the car brand, but the color was a “Starlight Purple” that she liked very much—a heavy, rich hue that added a veil of mystery to its solemnity and elegance. It was very tasteful, proving that the owner’s vision and aesthetic were indeed excellent.

The interior space was also enormous.

Qin Shuyue didn’t know how to describe it. A bad metaphor would make it sound exaggerated, but calling it small would be unrealistic. If she compared it to her family’s former car, this was practically twice the size. Moreover, there were many features inside that she had never seen before.

Even though Qin Shuyue wasn’t making any more noise—just letting her gaze wander and breathing quietly—Zhu Lingyi, sitting two seats away, still couldn’t fully immerse herself in her book.

The air felt a bit disorganized.

Zhu Lingyi’s eyes flickered toward her from time to time.

Sigh.

How can she be so noisy just by existing?

Noticing the gaze from the person next to her, Qin Shuyue immediately straightened her back and sat obediently.

Zhu Lingyi looked at her for a moment, wanting to say something but finding no words. Something felt blocked in her chest… regardless, she couldn’t read this book anymore.

She tossed the book casually into the rack behind the driver’s seat, crossed her arms, tilted her head to the side, and watched the scenery outside. Her gaze suddenly caught the clock between the driver and passenger seats.

21:38.

Zhu Lingyi looked back out the window and asked calmly, “Do you usually eat dinner this late?”

Qin Shuyue sat up straight, looking rather tense. She looked around to confirm that Zhu Lingyi was indeed talking to her.

She hurried to respond, “Ah, yes, yes.”

Then she hurriedly contradicted herself, “No, it’s not.”

Hearing Qin Shuyue’s contradictory words, Zhu Lingyi frowned with a hint of impatience.

The night view sped past the window. She didn’t ask further but leaned against the window and closed her eyes to rest.

At that moment, Qin Shuyue’s voice came through faintly.

“Sometimes I don’t have time for dinner. I have to finish my assignments after work. University is just another form of high school; there’s still so much homework to do.”

“Chinese Language… I’ve never looked into it. Do you have to memorize a lot of things?” Zhu Lingyi suddenly asked.

Qin Shuyue froze for a moment. “How… how did you know I was studying…”

“Did you forget your counselor called me today? She introduced herself right away… I don’t have a hobby of prying into other people’s business.”

Zhu Lingyi opened her eyes slightly and glanced toward Qin Shuyue. Seeing her seemingly relax, for some reason, a mischievous urge to tease her rose in Zhu Lingyi’s heart.

“But since you are my roommate…”

“Then naturally, I should get to the bottom of things.”

“Shouldn’t I?”

The corners of Zhu Lingyi’s mouth curved slightly.

Fragmented memories flashed through Qin Shuyue’s mind, and her heart suddenly tightened. Seeing her look so nervous with her body tensed up, Zhu Lingyi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Qin Shuyue looked up at her.

She was laughing…

Laughing?

“Why are you so nervous? Is it because you’ve done something unspeakable in the past?”

“Are you that afraid of people knowing?”

“No! It’s not like that!” Qin Shuyue immediately protested.

“You’re too tense.”

Zhu Lingyi dropped her playful expression and suddenly faced her seriously, staring at her. But Qin Shuyue, as if afraid of being seen through, quickly lowered her head.

“Qin Shuyue, you have already exposed what you fear most deep in your heart.”

“For you, that is fatal.”

“You should understand what I mean.”

“I…”

Qin Shuyue clenched her fists. She couldn’t deny it.

Everything about her past was something she was extremely, desperately afraid of people knowing. Once anyone found out, her entire world would be over.

Her life had never been easy for a single moment since her mother’s car accident. The friends around her would give her sympathy and pity her because of it. But she didn’t want anyone’s pity, let alone their charity!

She didn’t even think her own life was miserable, so why should others think her life was wretched and rotten! She would not allow others to look at her that way! Never!!

“You’re nervous, afraid? …Hiss, and a bit angry?”

“Truly a bit strange.”

Zhu Lingyi extended two slender fingers and took off the gold-rimmed glasses she was wearing—the frames had rose-gold tassels hanging from the sides. There were no lenses in the frames, but Zhu Lingyi was used to wearing them when observing people and taking them off at certain times.

“I…”

Qin Shuyue’s body was rigid. Her strained nerves seemed to have reached a breaking point; one more slight pull, and her mental state would collapse instantly.

At that moment, Uncle Wang broke the subtle atmosphere of the conversation.

He said respectfully to Zhu Lingyi, “Little President Zhu, we have arrived.”

Zhu Lingyi didn’t look at Qin Shuyue again. She glanced at Uncle Wang, pushed open the door, and stepped out with long strides.

Qin Shuyue, however, crouched inside the car and searched for a long time without finding the handle to exit. She was frantic. Perhaps because Zhu Lingyi’s words had triggered memories of her darkest year, her heart palpitated and panic set in, causing large beads of sweat to break out on her forehead.

Her hands kept fumbling and pulling at the car door, desperately trying to find a switch to get out, but no matter how she pushed or pulled, the door remained motionless.

She was at her wit’s end.

Someone finally goes through the trouble of taking you out, and you just ruin and spoil everything!

How can you be so useless! Why are you always so useless!!

Just as she was falling into a spiral of self-deprecation and despair, there was a “click,” and the car door opened.

Fresh but slightly humid air rushed into the car, colliding with the cool air inside, forming two competing currents of wind.

Qin Shuyue’s mind suddenly went blank. All her anxiety vanished in that instant.

Zhu Lingyi stood outside the door with her hands in her pockets, facing sideways, looking at something in the distance.

Qin Shuyue looked up and caught this scene.

A breeze brushed against Zhu Lingyi’s face, stirring the ends of her hair. Amidst the shorter hairs near her temples, the long black hair was tucked away; as the wind blew, the short hair moved slightly while the long hair remained in place. Her sharp jawline was like a stroke from a master’s carving knife—flawless.

She was truly beautiful.

It was completely different from the “handsome” or “cool” descriptions the other students used.

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