After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 30

Putting… an egg on her face?

Qin Shuyue walked along the secluded path of the school, her mind a chaotic whirl of thoughts.

Sister Xuhua was missing, the bank card was lost, the surveillance footage had been forwarded, and she was being maliciously speculated about and attacked.

How did those people know her whereabouts to specifically corner her? How were her and WeChat account details leaked? What on earth was going on with all of this? She had no grievances or enmity with them; why were they targeting her like this?

How could a piece of surveillance footage, edited to remove the beginning and the end, incite indignation in so many people? This sudden “cyberbullying” felt as if it had been pre-arranged.

Before she realized it, she had reached the elevator of Heqing Court. She pressed the button as usual, but her heart jolted the moment the elevator doors opened.

Memories of last night surged back into her mind like a tide. Disordered fragments were scattered everywhere with no place to start picking them up; she clutched her head, her body leaning weakly against the elevator wall.

She was exhausted. Truly, so tired.

Qin Shuyue knew that once she stepped out of those elevator doors, she would face another storm. She would have to continue being cautious, walking on thin ice, silently acting according to Zhu Lingyi’s whims every single day.

But… what was she supposed to do about last night? She had pushed Zhu Lingyi off the sofa, and the woman had been so furious. Could she even continue living here? If she couldn’t, then her mother’s hospitalization fees… there would be no way to pay them.

Unknowingly, Qin Shuyue had already stepped out of the elevator and reached the door of Unit 601. She kept her eyes downcast, fully aware that her every move was being monitored. She raised her hand, but it paused before the door.

What if the maids wouldn’t let her in? If she were kicked out and the videos continued to spread, how could she stay at this school?

Before she could finish her thought, the door to 601 opened on its own.

Inside, Zhu Lingyi sat upright on the sofa with a silver-white laptop propped on her lap. Her thick long hair fell in layers over her shoulders, and gold-rimmed glasses sat high on the bridge of her nose, the tassels of the frames trembling slightly as she focused intently on tapping the keyboard.

Zhu Lingyi appeared exceptionally solemn, seemingly handling work matters, yet she radiated a cold, aloof aura.

Qin Shuyue looked toward the door, but her vision was filled entirely by Zhu Lingyi. Just as her classmates said, Zhu Lingyi’s mere presence was enough to capture all attention, as if she possessed an innate magic that made it impossible to look away once you caught sight of her.

Qin Shuyue lowered her gaze, shifting her eyes downward. Suddenly, a thought surfaced in her mind: It would be better if she actually kicked me out. She didn’t know why this thought appeared so abruptly, but it was completely nonsensical.

Qin Shuyue lifted her foot, unsure whether to enter. She looked at the maid behind the door, but the woman kept her eyes submissively lowered and did not look at her.

Zhu Lingyi curled her long ring finger, elegantly pushing her glasses up from below. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she swept a glance at the hesitating Qin Shuyue at the door, then she nonchalantly returned her gaze to the computer screen. Her fingers tapped the keyboard with a “clack-clack” sound.

“Come in,” she said in a cold, indifferent voice.

Having received permission, Qin Shuyue did not feel the relief she expected; instead, the heavy stone weighing on her heart seemed to sink even further. She kept her head down, walked into the room, and closed the door extremely quickly and softly, without making a sound.

The maids who had been standing behind the door disappeared silently at some point, and the previously busy servants vanished in an instant. The entire first-floor hall was left with only Qin Shuyue and Zhu Lingyi.

Qin Shuyue stood woodenly in place, unsure whether to go upstairs or apologize to Zhu Lingyi. She kept glancing up, constantly observing Zhu Lingyi’s reaction.

Zhu Lingyi’s fingers continued to tap on the keyboard, her brow furrowed. After a long time, she finally closed the laptop and tiredly picked up the red wine the maids had breathed for her on the coffee table, taking a sip.

Looking up, she saw Qin Shuyue still standing like a post by the door.

Zhu Lingyi set down the wine glass and asked calmly, “Is there something you need?”

Qin Shuyue looked up in surprise. Zhu Lingyi’s expression hadn’t changed at all, as if she were completely unaware of the storm those leaked surveillance videos had caused for Qin Shuyue.

Qin Shuyue lowered her eyes. Why would she care if she had been hurt? It was likely the same motive as the first day she moved in—putting a rubber spider in her medicine box—just wanting to play a prank and watch her suffer.

Qin Shuyue took a trembling breath and slowly exhaled. She shook her head, but her gaze moved to the sofa behind Zhu Lingyi.

Right now, nothing was more important than Wu Xuhua’s bank card. She had to find it first. But Zhu Lingyi was sitting on the sofa…

As if reading Qin Shuyue’s thoughts, Zhu Lingyi used two fingers to pick up a blue Year of the Tiger bank card lying next to the laptop on the coffee table. Holding it up in the air, she asked, “Are you looking for this?”

Qin Shuyue’s pupils contracted, her eyes filled with uncertainty and alarm. How did she…

“It’s written all over your face.” Zhu Lingyi gave her glasses a light push, then hooked her finger toward Qin Shuyue. “Come here.”

Qin Shuyue hesitated, but seeing the bank card in Zhu Lingyi’s hand, she bit her lower lip and walked over to her. The bank card was within reach; Qin Shuyue could get it just by reaching out. The maid had said this morning the card might have been thrown away, but now that it was recovered, the corner of her mouth twitched as she reached out to take it back.

But a second before Qin Shuyue could touch the card, Zhu Lingyi withdrew her hand and gave a cold command.

“Kneel.”

It was devoid of any emotion. The look in her eyes as she watched Qin Shuyue was like watching a pet that had lost its master’s favor.

The flash of joy in Qin Shuyue’s eyes frozen instantly. She was like an ice sculpture developing fine cracks, looking as if she would collapse at any moment. She stood rooted to the spot, looking at Zhu Lingyi in disbelief, even thinking for a moment that Zhu Lingyi was just teasing her.

But when she met Zhu Lingyi’s cold, ruthless gaze—a gaze that seemed covered in a layer of frost—Qin Shuyue was completely convinced that she wasn’t joking.

Zhu Lingyi didn’t say anything else. But the coldness in her eyes wordlessly signaled that if she dared to disobey, Zhu Lingyi would immediately and mercilessly destroy the bank card. The card, held in Zhu Lingyi’s fingers, was like a fragile porcelain doll that could be crushed at any moment.

Qin Shuyue’s hands were clenched into tight fists under her sleeves. She looked at her with a trembling voice. “Why?”

Zhu Lingyi toyed with the card in her fingers, not even looking up. “Because I am very dissatisfied with you.”

With that feather-light sentence, Zhu Lingyi lifted her eyelids and gave her a cold glance.

Qin Shuyue bit her lower lip hard, tears shimmering in her eyes. Crashing into those eyes, Qin Shuyue felt as if her wings had been broken. Gritting her teeth, her eyes red, she asked, “If I kneel, will you give me the card?”

Zhu Lingyi gave a lazy, cold snort, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile as she asked, “Are you trying to negotiate terms with me?”

Qin Shuyue didn’t speak, her head hanging low.

“Kneel.” Zhu Lingyi was clearly less patient than the first time. She never had the habit of saying things twice. Her voice was much colder, and her patience was about to run out.

A wave of heat rushed to her eyes, and her breathing hitched, sounding particularly fragile in the silence. Her body slowly lowered until both knees were on the carpet.

“The bank card.” Qin Shuyue bit her lip, desperately suppressing the urge for tears to burst out as she looked up at Zhu Lingyi, who was seated on the sofa.

Zhu Lingyi turned a deaf ear to the request, even setting the card aside to grab Qin Shuyue’s chin instead. As she tilted her chin forward, the tears gathered in her eyes instantly rolled down her cheeks.

Zhu Lingyi silently watched her expression; even she didn’t realize that a flash of infatuation crossed her eyes. She slowly and gently wiped away the tears on Qin Shuyue’s cheek, then pulled something from behind her and pressed it against Qin Shuyue’s right cheek.

This suddenly triggered countless old, fragmented memories. Qin Shuyue immediately squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders jolting in a violent shudder.

But the expected burning pain didn’t come. Instead, something soft and bouncy, like a fleshy ball, began to roll back and forth across her right cheek. It was warm and felt quite comfortable as it rolled.

Qin Shuyue’s long, slightly curled eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes. Zhu Lingyi’s furrowed brow came into her view. Under the white fluorescent light, Zhu Lingyi’s features were extremely sharp—always a high and mighty existence that must not be offended.

But she… what was she doing now?

Qin Shuyue’s fingers trembled as she felt the softness on her cheek. Unconsciously, she reached out to touch it, only to feel another kind of softness.

Zhu Lingyi slapped her hand away, her cold voice tinged with impatience. “Don’t move.”

The voice seemed to have a magical power, pinning Qin Shuyue in place. The soft, bouncy sensation rolling across her face pressed down on the red pinch marks. At this moment, Qin Shuyue’s heart felt as if it had been placed in a cradle, slowly creating ripples in her soul with the gentle rhythm.

But in the next instant, two things were heartlessly tossed into Qin Shuyue’s hands. One was the bank card she had been longing for, and the other…

Qin Shuyue slowly looked down. It was a peeled, white, tender egg.

…An egg?

She looked up, but Zhu Lingyi had already stood up from the sofa and walked away. She cast a side glance at Qin Shuyue. “I don’t like having leftovers on the plates. Eat it all before you go wash up.”

After that, Zhu Lingyi went upstairs into the study.

Qin Shuyue slowly stood up from the floor and turned to look at the dishes on the dining table. For a moment, she couldn’t process the information she had received. Her legs felt stiff as she walked to the table.

Looking at the table full of food, Zhu Lingyi had claimed they were “leftovers.” They were clearly…

Qin Shuyue pulled out a chair and sat down.

The maid walked to her chair at some point and filled her glass with orange juice. She kept her eyes submissively lowered, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the juice in the glass.

She said softly to Qin Shuyue, “Miss Qin, don’t mind how President Zhu is usually quiet and cold-faced. In truth, she knows everything in her heart; she just doesn’t know how to express it. Miss Qin, I hope you can understand.”

“President Zhu is apologizing to you.”

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