After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 2

I saw nothing, nothing at all!

The suit jacket on the girl’s body appeared somewhat disheveled from running.

She rushed breathlessly to stand before Qin Shuyue. After bending over and gasping for air several times, she finally unfolded a dormitory transfer application form in front of her.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she said to Qin Shuyue, “Miss Qin, you dropped something… also, this is Heqing Court; you’ve entered the wrong dormitory.”

Qin Shuyue glanced back at Zhu Lingyi, who was leaning against the computer desk.

Zhu Lingyi slightly arched an eyebrow. Her playful gaze carried a trace of indiscernible coldness as she stood there composed, arms crossed over her chest, watching to see how Qin Shuyue would conclude this farce of entering the wrong room.

The computer screen had turned off at some unknown point.

After a panicked glance backward, Qin Shuyue shifted her gaze to the transfer form the girl held out to her.

She bowed repeatedly to the girl in apology, which gave the girl a fright.

The girl waved her hands frantically and supported Qin Shuyue, looking flustered. “No, Miss Qin, this is no big deal. You don’t need to apologize to me.”

“…I am truly sorry for causing you all trouble.”

Qin Shuyue gripped the transfer form tightly, her fingers pinching deep creases into both sides of the paper.

She quickly turned around to pick up her backpack and her suitcase, which bore the scars of years of wear and tear.

Perhaps because she was in too much of a hurry, her movements were frantic and clumsy.

She had just hoisted the bag onto her back and turned around when—smash—something shattered into pieces.

With a pale face, Qin Shuyue looked back to see a vase that had been sitting by the entrance lying in shards on the floor.

Her arm had also been accidentally sliced by a sharp fragment of the vase, but she had no time to worry about that.

Her mind and heart were entirely occupied by the vase she had broken.

How much money would she have to pay back?!

Qin Shuyue couldn’t help but gasp.

Whether from pain or fear, her face was ghost-white and her lower lip was so pale it looked nearly bitten through.

She stood rooted to the spot, clutching the corner of her shirt, completely at a loss.

Meanwhile, Zhu Lingyi took in every bit of Qin Shuyue’s clumsy display.

The girl was trembling with fear, standing at the entrance with a deathly pale face…

Zhu Lingyi let out a soft sigh and slowly lowered her crossed arms.

She stepped out with her long legs, reaching Qin Shuyue in just a few strides.

Zhu Lingyi was approximately 178 cm tall, standing a full head taller than the girl before her.

Qin Shuyue shrunk back like a startled quail, keeping her head low and trembling incessantly.

In her mind, she had already calculated countless times how her new roommate would explode in a rage.

But the person in front of her only let out an extremely faint sigh; there was no scolding.

Instead, Zhu Lingyi took her by the arm, pulling her away from the glass shards, and lifted the arm that was injured and still bleeding.

“The cut isn’t shallow; you’ll need medicine…”

But just as she was about to lift the sleeve to examine the wound closely, Qin Shuyue suddenly struggled and wrenched her arm away.

She quickly covered the bleeding wound with her other hand.

She apologized repeatedly, “Miss Zhu, I’m sorry, I am truly sorry. I… I will do my absolute best to compensate you for the vase.”

Hearing this, Zhu Lingyi seemed to find it quite amusing.

She narrowed her eyes at the vase that had been unintentionally knocked over and reduced to rubble.

The curve of her lips deepened, and the interest in her eyes grew stronger.

Zhu Lingyi raised her eyelids slightly, looking at Qin Shuyue’s outfit—which clearly cost no more than 500 yuan—and asked nonchalantly, “Compensate? Do you even have anything of value on you?”

She had only asked in passing, but to her surprise, Qin Shuyue actually began to search.

“I—I do! I’ll look, let me look…!”

She watched as Qin Shuyue opened her backpack and then her suitcase, earnestly rummaging for the thing she deemed most valuable.

After searching through the suitcase, she finally found a gold bracelet at the very bottom, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag.

She held it in her hand, her fingers trembling. Her gaze lingered on the bracelet; as she recalled the story behind it, her fingertips twitched involuntarily.

Then, she opened her palm and, as if having made a final decision, offered the gold bracelet to Zhu Lingyi with both hands.

Seeing how much she treasured it, it truly seemed to be the most valuable thing she owned.

Yet, Zhu Lingyi showed no sign of being moved.

She didn’t even bother to fully lift her eyelids.

She pinched the small bag with her fingers, lifted it to look at it twice, and then let go with total indifference.

Qin Shuyue was quick, catching the rapidly falling gold bracelet just in time.

Her heart, which had been hanging by a thread, tightened.

Then, a lazy voice sounded from above her head.

“This vase is priceless.”

The moment the word “priceless” was uttered, Qin Shuyue truly lost her composure.

If there were a price, it could be paid; if it was priceless… then there really was no room for negotiation.

However, Zhu Lingyi’s tone was not aggressive. It was very languid, yet within that languor was a heavy sense of pressure.

It seemed there might still be room for discussion.

Qin Shuyue quietly looked up, stole a quick glance, and then lowered her head again.

There was no anger on Zhu Lingyi’s face, but there were no other emotions either.

She truly could not figure out what this girl wanted to do.

“You can’t afford it,” Zhu Lingyi said succinctly and coldly.

You can’t afford it.

Those wind-like, casual words reached Qin Shuyue’s ears and made her whole body tremble.

On the night her mother was in the car accident, her father had held her hand affectionately, earnestly trying to persuade her to give up on the treatment.

‘Qin Shuyue, give up! Your mother can’t be cured! Even if she is, she’ll be a vegetable. Her life is already over, but we… we can’t let her drag us down! Be a good girl, let’s not save her, okay?’

“No!” Qin Shuyue gripped the corner of her clothes tightly. “I can! I can afford it, I will definitely pay you back.”

“Oh?” A hint of playfulness flashed in Zhu Lingyi’s eyes.

“You can afford it?”

She looked Qin Shuyue up and down. The most valuable thing on her was that single gold bracelet, which wouldn’t even cover the cost of a corner of the vase.

“But I said, my vase is priceless.”

A slender, long finger with distinct joints slowly tilted Qin Shuyue’s chin upward.

“That one gold bracelet of yours—which corner of my vase is it enough to pay for?”

Qin Shuyue’s damp eyes looked as pitiful as a little deer about to be slaughtered. Zhu Lingyi arched an eyebrow, looking down at her.

“Tsk.” She narrowed her eyes, her other hand instinctively and gently stroking the girl’s porcelain-like skin. Seeing her tightly furrowed brows, she couldn’t help but say, “How pitiful.”

She parted her lips slightly and let out a sigh that was barely noticeable.

Immediately, she withdrew her hand and said to Qin Shuyue in a sharp voice, “Stay, or pay thirty million.”

“The choice is yours.”

The moment those words were spoken, Qin Shuyue immediately pulled her worn-out suitcase and backpack close to her side, trying not to take up any extra space.

Standing fixed to the spot with her head down, she asked in a tiny voice, “Then, may I ask… which room is mine?”

Zhu Lingyi didn’t spare her another look, keeping her eyes fixed on her phone screen. “The first room on the left on the second floor is mine. As for the rest, pick one for yourself.”

Qin Shuyue waved her hands frantically. “No, I’m not picky. Anything is fine.”

Zhu Lingyi gave a slight nod as a response.

As for Yu Yu, she had long since vanished, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Not wanting to cause Zhu Lingyi any more trouble, Qin Shuyue hauled her luggage upstairs as fast as she could.

Seeing her huffing and puffing up the stairs with her bags, Zhu Lingyi realized something was wrong.

She stood up from the sofa, walked to the base of the stairs leading to the second floor, and watched her with a somewhat stunned expression. “…What are you doing?”

Qin Shuyue jolted, clearly not expecting a voice to suddenly come from behind her.

Having learned her lesson, she hurriedly hoisted her bags properly to avoid bumping the stairs. Poking her head out from behind her tattered bag, she said, “I… I’m taking my luggage to the second floor.”

Zhu Lingyi pointed in a certain direction. Qin Shuyue followed her gaze.

Zhu Lingyi then spoke, “There is an elevator; you can go up directly.”

Her gaze was like she was looking at a little fool.

Qin Shuyue had never lived in a place like this, nor did she know that houses could have elevators.

For a moment, she was overwhelmed with shame by her own lack of experience.

Her face turned bright red, and only after a long pause did she squeeze out, “S-sorry.”

Zhu Lingyi frowned slightly but quickly relaxed.

She said nothing more, turning back to sit on the soft leather sofa to read her book.

Qin Shuyue, however, was afraid she would scuff the pure mahogany stairs.

She summoned all her strength to lift the bags and transported them to the second floor.

The overall style of the second floor gave off a refreshing feeling.

In a half-open music room, a violin leaned against a piano. There was a window in the room, and outside was a lush, leafy tree—vibrant and green, creating a very beautiful atmosphere.

There was also an entertainment room and Zhu Lingyi’s office space.

She wandered around and finally found an empty room.

As she toured the floor, she noticed many rooms had writing desks, computer tables, and bay windows, but no beds.

She continued her search quietly and finally found a room with both a bed and a writing desk.

Her heart leaped with joy. Almost without thinking, she decided on it immediately.

This was the one.

Although the space wasn’t as large as the previous rooms, compared to the cramped 40-square-meter dorm she had shared with six others during her freshman year, she was already very satisfied.

An independent wardrobe, a bed, a bay window, a desk, a bookshelf, and a bathroom—everything was provided.

She took out a pack of wet wipes and meticulously wiped the dust off the floor twice.

Then she opened her suitcase and bags, neatly folding her clothes one by one and placing them in the wardrobe.

While Qin Shuyue was busily working and covered in sweat, she didn’t notice at all that the wound on her arm was slowly bleeding.

Turning her head, she saw someone standing at the door.

Qin Shuyue gasped in shock.

The folded clothes in her hand dropped to the floor.

Zhu Lingyi leaned against the doorframe, her expression looking rather displeased.

She was carrying a first-aid kit.

“You… forget it.”

Seeing Qin Shuyue standing there in a daze, Zhu Lingyi didn’t want to say much more.

She placed the first-aid kit at the door. “There’s medicine inside. Apply it yourself.”

Having said that, she turned and went straight back downstairs.

Was this… kindness?

For her?

Qin Shuyue stood frozen in place for a moment.

Feeling a bit dazed, she walked over and picked up the first-aid kit from the floor. Her fingers tightened as she held it close to her chest.

She looked up at Zhu Lingyi’s retreating figure as she went downstairs and murmured in a very solemn voice:

“…Thank you.”

Support After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress