After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 13

What kind of boss opens a print shop right next to a barbecue joint?

Seeing Qin Shuyue’s expression of utter satisfaction, Zhu Lingyi narrowed her eyes. “Enjoying the food?”

Qin Shuyue froze for a moment, like a rabbit caught with its secrets exposed. Her eyes were filled with alarm and uncertainty as she looked at her. If there were a mirror nearby, she really wanted to see if her thoughts were truly written all over her face.

She usually didn’t let her emotions surface; how on earth did she see through her?

“Um… the flavor is very unique.”

Hearing this word of praise, the anxious, wrinkled face of the male manager finally cracked into a smile—the kind of smile that comes when a heart finally settles back into one’s chest.

“This dessert is our…”

The manager was revitalized, looking ready to launch into an eloquent introduction regarding the dessert’s background, craftsmanship, and process…

But Zhu Lingyi had never been one for long-winded chatter.

She only cared about results.

If a fine dish didn’t receive a good review, she wouldn’t hesitate to take it off the menu immediately.

Just like now.

She had absolutely no desire to hear the manager ramble from the “Hundred Grass Garden to the Three Flavor Bookstore.”

Just as she opened her mouth to dismiss him, there was a loud bang as the wooden door of the Chunxiang Pavilion was thrust open.

Before the person even appeared, a hearty voice arrived first.

“Zhu Lingyi, this isn’t very loyal of you! Sneaking off here to eat by yourself without bringing us? Are you afraid we’ll eat you into poverty?”

Gao Yin tossed his thick, fluffy hair and swaggered into the room.

Beside him, Xu Lian was more perceptive of the situation inside the Chunxiang Pavilion.

He curled his finger and lightly pushed his glasses up his nose.

A look of cautious alertness shot through his eyes.

To prevent the guy next to him from courting death, he reached out and grabbed Gao Yin by the collar, loyally dragging him back just as he was about to step fully into the room.

Gao Yin let out a cry of surprise. “Hey! Xu Lian, you—!”

Immediately, his gaze followed where he was being dragged and caught sight of a different view.

Wait…

The person sitting next to Little President Zhu wasn’t…

“You’re the one from the school cafeteria kitchen…”

Seeing the familiar faces, Qin Shuyue hurriedly set down her bowl and spoon. She lowered her head, sitting on the wooden chair with a sense of cramped uneasiness.

“How did you get in here? Who let you—”

At the critical moment, Xu Lian covered Gao Yin’s mouth, manually silencing him.

He looked toward Zhu Lingyi, who was sitting in the main seat with a slightly darkened expression, and hurriedly said, “Sister Zhu, Gao Yin is drunk today. He…”

“I’m not drunk!”

“He’s so drunk he’s talking nonsense.”

Xu Lian pressed his hand down even harder on Gao Yin’s mouth, forcibly dragging him out of Zhu Lingyi’s line of sight.

Only when they were outside did Xu Lian let go.

“Xu Lian!” Gao Yin snapped indignantly. “Who was I even drinking with? Didn’t you see who was sitting next to Sister Zhu?”

Xu Lian looked back toward the Chunxiang Pavilion. “I know.”

At this, Gao Yin began to babble incessantly around him. “How did that little cook end up in Chunxiang… wait, that’s not right. Did Sister Zhu bring her here?”

Xu Lian pushed his glasses again, the reflection of the lenses flashing across half of Gao Yin’s face.

He looked at Gao Yin as if he were an idiot.

It was an expression that clearly said, ‘Did you only just realize?’

“That’s not right!” Gao Yin slapped his forehead. “Why would Sister Zhu bring her? Are they that close?”

Xu Lian asked back in his deep, magnetic voice, “Has Sister Zhu never brought people here before?”

“Those were business meetings, it’s different…”

“No.”

Gao Yin seemed to realize something.

Business meetings wouldn’t happen in a place like that.

What kind of place was it? That was the Chunxiang Pavilion. It was her…

Gao Yin said, “Sister Zhu brought that little cook in there to eat? What does Sister Zhu mean by this?”

The two of them looked at each other, their expressions speaking volumes without words.

Xu Lian remained relatively steady, analyzing calmly, “It’s probably just a whim of hers.”

“That girl… she is interesting.”

“Interesting?” Gao Yin didn’t understand.

Looking at Gao Yin, who resembled a silly, curly-haired dog, Xu Lian shook his head helplessly and offered a timely jab. “With that brain of yours, can you really understand medicine?”

At this, Gao Yin was offended. “Xu Lian, saying that really hurts our brotherhood!”

Xu Lian continued to shake his head with a light sigh. “Gao Yin, you should just go back and inherit your father’s business.”

“Miss Zhu, thank you for your hospitality.”

After saying this, Qin Shuyue picked up the small bag slung over her shoulder and took off like a shot, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Before Zhu Lingyi could even react, Qin Shuyue was gone.

Rather than “leaving,” it would be more accurate to say she had “fled in panic.”

Zhu Lingyi pulled her glasses from her crossbody bag and lightly slid them onto the bridge of her nose.

She stared in the direction Qin Shuyue had disappeared for a long time, lost in thought.

After a while, the male manager walked back in.

He knocked politely and, after receiving Zhu Lingyi’s permission, entered.

“I have seen that lady out as you instructed.”

“The hotel layout is complex; if one isn’t careful and opens the wrong door, there could be unpredictable consequences. With you guiding her… forget it, you did well.”

The manager’s lips twitched into a small smile. “It is my duty.” He then looked at the table full of mostly untouched food and asked for her instructions. “These dishes…”

“Pack some up, and the others…”

Zhu Lingyi picked up her chopsticks.

“Be green and thrifty; one must not waste a single grain of rice.”

The manager stood respectfully by her side, cutting her steak while Zhu Lingyi took bites and chewed slowly.

The summer night breeze was strong. It didn’t feel cool against the skin; rather, the wind by the river was fast and heavy.

It whipped against Qin Shuyue’s face, sending her floral dress fluttering behind her as the pedestrians on the street became nothing but blurred shadows.

She didn’t know how long she had been running, only that her heart felt like it was about to explode and a metallic taste of blood filled her throat.

Exhausted, she was forced to stop and lean against a small pavilion by the river, gasping for air.

From the moment she entered the hotel, Qin Shuyue had felt uncomfortable. So many people had cast glances her way—glances of scrutiny, envy, or admiration.

Even though she knew those looks weren’t meant for her, standing beside Zhu Lingyi meant she had to endure those strange, unfamiliar gazes that made her incredibly nervous, even fearful.

But she couldn’t accept those looks.

She couldn’t bring herself to naturally receive the various emotions carried in those eyes.

It was complicated and painful.

It gave her a sense of losing control, as if her life’s rhythm was being disrupted.

It threw everything into chaos.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess; this single day had been enough to give her a massive headache.

Walking into such a high-class place with Zhu Lingyi, did she really think she was a phoenix now?

A sparrow is a sparrow; no matter how high it flies, it will never have a day where a “carp leaps over the dragon’s gate.”

For her, it was better to keep her feet on the ground and live each day properly—working her part-time jobs and earning enough money. She couldn’t forget that her mother was still in the ICU, and the daily expenses were nearly breaking her back.

She also had her studies to maintain.

Once she had sorted out her thoughts, her heart gradually calmed down.

She turned on her phone; the screen had been cracked for who knows how long… it was a middle school graduation gift from her mother.

She had always been reluctant to replace it.

She was afraid that if she changed it, her connection to her mother would diminish even further.

Qin Shuyue looked down at the time.

22:00

One hour left.

She breathed a silent sigh of relief.

There was still time.

Qin Shuyue looked at her outfit for the day.

She must have been dizzy with excitement—why did she wear such an inappropriate dress?

Had she forgotten she still had a night shift to work?

Qin Shuyue sighed and wiped her face.

Life goes on. Qin Shuyue, stop dreaming about those unrealistic things. They have nothing to do with you.

“Beep—Scan successful. Wishing you a pleasant journey.”

The mechanical female voice emitted from the shared bicycle, its tone upbeat and cheerful as if every rider were heading toward a bright future.

But on Qin Shuyue’s face, there was no expectation for anything.

Her mother, face wrapped in bandages and body covered in injuries, lay struggling on a hospital bed attached to an expensive ventilator.

Every time she visited, she was always in tears.

It had been a long time since she had seen her mother smile.

There were very few photos of her mother in Qin Shuyue’s album.

Only a few scattered shots.

They were photos of her and her mother from when she was a child, taken by her father.

It had been over three years; she was almost forgetting what her mother looked like.

Over these years, her father had given her quite a bit of living allowance, even though it had slowly decreased and become delayed later on—under the beautiful excuse that he had started a new family and no longer had the energy or resources to support her.

On countless nights alone in that large, hollow house, the only thing she could grasp onto was the monthly, dwindling allowance from her father.

Her thoughts drifted into the distance—a vast, infinite distance where broken memories floated like wisps of smoke, extending further and further away.

22:53

Qin Shuyue parked the shared bike. The moment she locked it, a deduction notification appeared on her phone.

4 Yuan paid.

Two yuan for half an hour; any portion exceeding that was rounded up to the next half hour.

So expensive.

Qin Shuyue silently clicked into the order and stared at it for a long time.

Snap.

She pressed the power button to turn off the screen.

She lightly smoothed out her wrinkled little dress and then stepped toward a print shop.

Speaking of which, the location of this print shop was truly strange—it was actually opened right next to a barbecue stall.

Moreover, there were no educational institutions or residents nearby… well, maybe a few buildings.

It would be a miracle if this print shop stayed open until next year without going bankrupt.

Coming to a print shop to print materials and then grabbing a few skewers on the way back?

Too ridiculous.

As Qin Shuyue thought this, she walked into the shop, holding a USB drive in her hand.

There was someone lounging lazily in a reclining chair inside. One hand held a fan shaped like a peach, while the other held a phone horizontally. The phone was playing something very loudly.

She didn’t know if she was developing PTSD, but ever since she discovered Zhu Lingyi watching those things alone in the dorm, she had developed a reflexive suspicion toward anyone fitting that description.

Support After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress