After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 20

But why is she avoiding me?

If it weren’t for Qin Shuyue’s subsequent actions, Zhu Lingyi could almost be certain that the woman before her had a secret crush on her.

She had the confidence and the capital to think so; it didn’t make her seem conceited.

Just as she was thinking this, however, Qin Shuyue used her actions to shatter and grind away Zhu Lingyi’s idealized perception of her.

Qin Shuyue had been trying every possible way to avoid her.

She didn’t want to have contact with her, didn’t want to have the slightest connection with her, and ideally, didn’t even want to run into her.

All her behavior didn’t look like a secret crush; it looked more like loathing.

If she loathed her, why would she still cook her a three-course meal plus soup?

If she loathed her, why would she help clean her dormitory?

Was this a joke?!

Then what exactly was she doing all of this for?

What on earth did this woman feel toward her?

Zhu Lingyi had absolutely no clue!

Today was the same.

After Qin Shuyue returned, she kept her head lowered as usual, deliberately diminishing her own presence. When she passed in front of Zhu Lingyi, she moved like a drift of smoke, making no sound at all.

It was Zhu Lingyi who spoke first to call her out: “Qin Shuyue.”

Qin Shuyue’s body stiffened instantly before she finally turned around.

From her expression, it was clearly foreseeable that Qin Shuyue had no desire to be stopped by her at all.

Suppressing the irritation in her heart, Zhu Lingyi asked in a level voice, “What are you holding in your hand?”

Qin Shuyue replied obediently, “Skewers.”

But her gaze didn’t land on Zhu Lingyi’s person at all.

See, she was just obedient on the surface. She seemed to follow every word, but in reality, she didn’t respect her in her heart at all.

A flash of displeasure crossed Zhu Lingyi’s eyes.

In a commanding tone, she forced Qin Shuyue: “Come here.”

It allowed no refusal.

Qin Shuyue’s hand tightened around the plastic bag, then relaxed.

She obediently walked to Zhu Lingyi’s side.

“This kind of thing…”

Zhu Lingyi spoke while staring intently at Qin Shuyue’s face, “…even if I fed it to my dog, he wouldn’t eat it.”

One could clearly see Qin Shuyue’s expression falter.

She barely managed to twitch the corner of her mouth to maintain the respect she was supposed to show on the surface.

“Miss Zhu has lived a life of luxury since childhood; naturally, you wouldn’t care for things from a street stall.”

“You’re right,” Zhu Lingyi hummed in agreement. “I certainly don’t care for it.”

Zhu Lingyi finally stood up. She glanced at the Western meal on the table that had barely been touched, then lazily instructed her: “Go wash them.”

Qin Shuyue placed the skewers on the wooden floor and began to obediently pack up the steak and pasta plates that Zhu Lingyi had barely touched.

She had hardly taken a bite.

After dropping those words, Zhu Lingyi specifically paused her footsteps. Seeing that the person behind her had no objections and was actually washing the plates, she couldn’t help but mockingly say: “So you’ve truly taken up the job of serving people, have you?”

Qin Shuyue’s hand stopped briefly. she realized instantly that Zhu Lingyi was ridiculing her, but her expression quickly returned to normal, and she continued washing the plates as usual.

She didn’t pay her any mind.

They were from two different worlds; it was normal for their thoughts and values to differ.

Qin Shuyue felt there was no need to argue with her and waste her breath.

But Qin Shuyue’s repeated ignoring of her made Zhu Lingyi furious. She turned around, strode over to Qin Shuyue, grabbed the hand she was using to wash the dishes, and pulled her forcefully toward herself. She looked down at her as if looking at an ant.

She was about to open her mouth to warn her, but she caught sight of the pained expression on Qin Shuyue’s face as she struggled frantically to break free from the restraining hand.

Zhu Lingyi’s reason returned, and she immediately let go of her wrist.

She never laid hands on others unless she was truly provoked.

She felt a surge of regret.

She was never usually this out of control.

Yet, a flame of anger still smoldered in her heart. She looked at her coldly. “Qin Shuyue, are you a mute?”

This single sentence caused past memories to surge into Qin Shuyue’s mind like a tidal wave breaking through a dam.

The impact left her dazed. The voices in her head swirled around her ears. She couldn’t stop herself from trembling all over. Her hands gripped the edge of the sink, her fingers clutching the counter tightly.

Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Even as her fingers dug into the counter, she couldn’t control it.

Zhu Lingyi frowned in displeasure. Although she was dissatisfied that Qin Shuyue still wasn’t responding to her, she ultimately maintained her principle of not using physical force. She didn’t trouble Qin Shuyue any further and turned to go upstairs for a bath.

Only she was left on the first floor. Qin Shuyue suddenly lost all strength and sank to her knees by the sink. She curled into herself, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

The faucet washed over the bowls in the sink. The sound of rushing water masked Qin Shuyue’s painful whimpers.

After an unknown amount of time, the phone in her pocket suddenly lit up and vibrated twice.

Qin Shuyue weakly raised her hand to lean against the sink and lightly touched the sensor to turn off the faucet.

She let out a soft sigh and finished washing the dishes in the sink.

Then, she picked up the skewers from the floor and headed upstairs.

Once back in her room, she sat in her chair, placed the skewers on the desk, and took out her phone.

Surprisingly, someone had actually sent her a message.

Qin Shuyue wondered who it could be, but the moment she double-clicked into the message, she regretted it instantly.

It was Ling Lingling.

Why was she still messaging her?

Her gaze lingered on the three messages Ling Lingling had sent her three months ago.

Then, her eyes slowly moved down.

It was a picture.

Ling Lingling’s outfit was quite traditional. On both sides of her head, her hair was styled into two small buns fastened with red and white hairpins, with two strands of hair falling over her chest. She wore a fluffy red vest over a high-necked white inner garment with fur trim, her arms spread to show the exquisite embroidery on her sleeves.

Her lower garment was a red horse-face skirt outlined with gold thread, the heavy and bright embroidery meticulously traced with gold. Her skin was as white as snow, and her smile was as warm as the morning sun. Standing under a carousel, she looked like a little sun that could melt the snow on the ground.

She looked exactly like a pearl in the palm of her parents, raised with love and care.

Qin Shuyue’s fingers trembled as she zoomed in on the picture, looked at it for a moment, and then shrunk it back to its original size.

Ling Lingling was still the same as before, not changed at all.

Coming from a happy and perfect family, it was natural that she would grow up to be such a bright and lively girl.

Growing up carefree, happy, and joyful.

Qin Shuyue felt a sense of emotion in her heart. She exited the picture and saw the caption below:

‘I went out to play with my classmates today, the weather is really freezing! I don’t know why they still wanted to drag me out… and it was just to ride a carousel once! Ahhh, so boring, I really wanted to ride the roller coaster… Shuyue, do you remember when our families went to the amusement park together when we were kids? I don’t know why, but when I came to the amusement park today, I actually thought of you immediately~

Shuyue, this is a photo I had them take of me. My friends are so clumsy, their photography skills aren’t nearly as good as yours! (Tongue-out emoji)’

Watching these pictures and words she had sent, Qin Shuyue’s emotions seemed to undergo a subtle change.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly. Finally, she opened the input method and replied: “Have fun.”

The other side went silent for a few seconds, then immediately sent a GIF of “eating her in one bite.” Ling Lingling replied instantly: “Received! Shuyue-yue should also be happy every day~ Wink~”

Qin Shuyue felt a warmth in her heart and gave a soft “mm.”

She put her phone back on the desk and picked up a skewer to eat.

While eating, something suddenly occurred to her, and she immediately dropped the skewer and ran into the kitchen downstairs.

Zhu Lingyi usually chose to handle company matters after her bath.

After putting on her bathrobe, she walked out of the mist-filled bathroom. The second floor was essentially not much different from the first, but the functions were strictly divided.

Zhu Lingyi was used to putting unimportant materials and books she usually read in the first-floor study. However, the second-floor study held more important company documents and academic materials; no one dared enter her study without her permission.

But today, she caught someone red-handed.

Qin Shuyue was sneakily doing something in the study. Once Zhu Lingyi realized someone had entered her study, she kicked the door open violently.

It gave Qin Shuyue a fright.

She had just put things down when she heard the loud bang, scaring her so much she nearly dropped what she was holding.

She looked toward the door in a panic.

She saw that Zhu Lingyi’s face was expressionless, looking at her as if she were a dead person, her eyes filled with a sense of realization.

She knew it; as long as it’s a fox, there will eventually come a day when it shows its tail!

Hadn’t she caught her red-handed today?

Zhu Lingyi wasn’t as angry as one might expect; instead, she felt a sliver of validation. It was as if a voice in the bottom of her heart was constantly telling her, ‘See, Qin Shuyue is just that kind of person, no different from the others,’ and it had finally become a reality.

“Did he send you? To get close to me? To steal my company secrets and then use them to threaten me in return?”

Zhu Lingyi raised an eyebrow. She leaned against the doorframe, looking at her in a leisurely and lazy manner.

But her gaze was chillingly cold, containing an endless sharp glint.

Everything was confirmed; Qin Shuyue was nothing but a thief sent by him to steal her things.

Everything she had done before was just to please her and make her let her guard down!

Ha, she thought Qin Shuyue had some great skill! It turned out to be nothing more than using the lowest methods to trick her into lowering her guard!

However, Qin Shuyue’s next words, every single one of them, were completely dismantling Zhu Lingyi’s slander.

Facing this string of questions from Zhu Lingyi, Qin Shuyue didn’t know where to start.

She didn’t know how to answer.

But…

Qin Shuyue secretly looked up at the clock hanging in the study.

Zhu Lingyi had come out five minutes earlier than usual; otherwise, they wouldn’t have run into each other.

How awkward.

Had she misunderstood something?

Qin Shuyue’s hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly. She pointed to the meal laid out on the desk and said to Zhu Lingyi: “I… I saw that for dinner today… you didn’t eat much, so, so I… I just…”

She didn’t continue.

Zhu Lingyi’s brow furrowed slightly. Her eyes followed the direction of Qin Shuyue’s finger.

Two dishes and a soup—very simple, but no different from what she had made for her before.

She stepped inside with her long legs, strode past the desk and chair, and sat down.

She looked at Qin Shuyue with the scrutinizing gaze of a superior.

Finally, the corner of her mouth twitched. “Are you trying to move up in the world?”

Qin Shuyue’s pupils shrank violently; her whole body froze on the spot, and her head spun.

Did she have any idea what she was saying?

“What?”

Zhu Lingyi’s fingertip tapped the tabletop rhythmically.

“I just fired my catering manager today. Looking at the time, the two of you should have crossed paths on the stairs.”

The image of the girl with red eyes who had knocked her to the ground suddenly popped into Qin Shuyue’s mind.

She finally remembered where she had seen her.

However, she asked Zhu Lingyi in confusion: “What did she do wrong that you had to fire her?”

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