After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 37

Her body was suddenly and firmly caught in a pair of arms.

“Boss.”

Qin Shuyue greeted Yuan Mei politely.

Yuan Mei nodded. She looked down at the time and said with some surprise, “You’re forty minutes early. You don’t have to come this early in the future.”

Qin Shuyue pursed her lips. “It’s alright. When I used to do private tutoring at other people’s homes, I would also arrive thirty or forty minutes early.”

“Tutoring?” Yuan Mei asked. “Then why did you come to work in a restaurant? Oh, don’t misunderstand I just mean that tutoring is much easier work than being here.”

Qin Shuyue lowered her gaze and shook her head gently. “It’s easier here.”

Working in a restaurant is easier than tutoring?

When Yuan Mei was in university, one tutoring session paid 400 yuan for two hours. Two classes a week provided more than enough for a month’s living expenses. It was much more relaxed and free than this.

“Easier by a lot?” Yuan Mei couldn’t quite understand.

Qin Shuyue smiled down at the floor and didn’t speak, simply flipping through the bills quietly.

Outside the restaurant, Song Jiajia, Liang Qi, and their group stood at the entrance.

They peered through the glass at Qin Shuyue standing behind the cash register. Liang Qi snorted coldly. “Don’t I remember that she already applied for work-study at school?”

Song Jiajia pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of Qin Shuyue buried in her work. Her fingers tapped on the screen as she said nonchalantly, “Qin Shuyue is short of money. Desperately short.”

She put her phone away, her eyes fixed on Liang Qi, her gaze filled with contempt for the woman inside.

“Didn’t you guys know? Back in high school, to earn money, Qin Shuyue went to a bar to be a night girl.”

Song Jiajia deliberately dragged out those last three words. As soon as she finished speaking, several students behind her burst into mocking laughter.

“I heard you can make 300 in one night?”

At that moment, someone behind them chimed in, “Who knows how that money actually comes in.”

As soon as the words fell, rustling titters broke out all around.

Song Jiajia’s expression suddenly changed, casting a look of mock pity at Qin Shuyue inside. “In freshman year, we were Qin Shuyue’s best roommates. Knowing she was short of money, we racked our brains to find ways to give her financial aid but.”

Her tone shifted, her eyes turning sharp and cold. “Qin Shuyue not only rejected our kindness, but she also went to the counselor to talk nonsense, saying we were bullying her on campus and demanding a room change. Heavens…”

Song Jiajia opened her mouth wide, clutching her heart as if frightened. “She really is an ungrateful white eyed wolf.”

Liang Qi, however, was still stuck on what Song Jiajia had said a few sentences prior. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his gaze wandering between her waist and her thighs.

“Is that so? Is she really that desperate for money?”

Song Jiajia nodded. “Look at her shabby appearance; she must be driven to the wall.”

Then she snorted again. “This must be the best outcome she could get after working herself to death to get through the college entrance exams. It’s just.”

“She shouldn’t be here. Someone with her family background doesn’t deserve to be in the same classroom as us.”

After giving Qin Shuyue a cold glare, Song Jiajia turned to leave. She waved her hand. “Let’s go.”

Sometimes, Qin Shuyue truly loved working and studying. Only at these times could her heart find a moment of peace and solace, shutting out all the chaos outside. It was just her, fully absorbed in her own world.

“Shuyue.”

The boss lady smiled and waved her phone in front of her. “That’s it for today. I’ve already transferred last month’s wages into your bank card. Keep an eye out for it.”

Qin Shuyue took off her work uniform and pulled out her canvas bag, which had been crumpled into a ball under the counter. She patted it down, hung it on her arm, left the restaurant, and scanned a shared bike.

As she rode, Qin Shuyue was constantly calculating money in her head.

4,500.

Plus the 30,000 Wu Xuhua had given her earlier, minus the 18,000 spent on her mother’s hospital bills that left 16,500.

It was already the middle of the month, and her 1,500 yuan work-study salary from school hadn’t been paid yet. However, following tradition, it usually arrived on the 28th. This month’s hospital fees were covered.

But what about next month?

Counting the days, her final exams were only two months away. The hospital fees what should she do? Was there any other way to make money?

Qin Shuyue took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was so hard. Life.

Money, money, money it was almost enough to crush her spine. And while she was entirely focused on raising funds, she forgot that her situation on campus was equally precarious.

She walked with her head down and back hunched, quietly moving along the left side of the road, blending into the shadows of the trees to keep her presence as low as possible. She wanted to avoid being noticed and inviting unnecessary trouble.

The phone in her canvas bag vibrated incessantly. Every notification felt like a giant boulder pressing against her chest; with every buzz, the stone sank a little deeper.

And the person who brought all this misfortune upon her was Zhu Lingyi.

“Fingerprint recognition successful.”

With a “ding-dong,” the lock opened automatically. The door swung back on its own without Qin Shuyue even needing to press the handle. In the past, when there was no fingerprint code, she had to press the handle every time, but now, she only had to touch it, and the door opened. It was convenient and smart.

11:30 PM.

Qin Shuyue returned punctually every night. Zhu Lingyi had also just finished her meeting and put down her laptop.

Even knowing that Zhu Lingyi was the one who leaked the video, Qin Shuyue had to retreat when facing her directly. Was she supposed to go up and confront her head-on? With Zhu Lingyi’s power at school, a single word could probably have her expelled tomorrow.

She still needed to go to school. She needed her degree to find a good job so she could earn money for her mother’s treatment.

So Qin Shuyue entered the house with her head down, her footsteps as light as a cat’s paws, trying not to make any noise on the floorboards to minimize her presence. She hoped her submission and retreat would make Zhu Lingyi find her boring and stop tormenting her.

But Qin Shuyue was wrong.

The next second, Zhu Lingyi’s cold voice came from the sofa. She pushed up her glasses. “Why are you back so late? Qin Shuyue, my dorm has a curfew.”

Qin Shuyue kept her head down and apologized. “I’m sorry, Miss Zhu. Something delayed me outside.”

“Are you in a relationship?”

“What?” Qin Shuyue looked up, completely bewildered.

How nonsensical…? What does Zhu Lingyi mean?

Zhu Lingyi shifted her gaze to the laptop on the coffee table and calmly pushed her glasses up again. “Nothing.”

Zhu Lingyi stood up and walked coldly past her, leaving behind a refreshing scent of jasmine. But when Qin Shuyue caught the scent, she felt a wave of nausea in her stomach. They say the stomach is an organ that reflects emotion. It seemed her body had realized it before her mind: she truly loathed Zhu Lingyi.

“I am just warning you once more. Since you are in my dorm, you must follow my rules.”

Zhu Lingyi brushed past her and ordered, “Go wash the plates. Also, I don’t like wasting food.”

The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs, fading as Zhu Lingyi walked up to the second floor. Not until the study door closed with a “click” did Qin Shuyue’s heart finally settle back into her chest.

She turned and walked slowly into the dining room.

The maid thoughtfully pulled out a chair for her and, just like last time, poured her a full glass of orange juice. Qin Shuyue glanced at the juice with disgust. She hated oranges. But under the maid’s watchful eye, she could only pick up the glass and gulp it down.

On the plate were shrimp, beef, and some vegetables, alongside a bowl filled with pork rib soup. Qin Shuyue lifted the spoon and took a sip of the soup. It was perfectly seasoned, fresh, and savory. The meaty aroma of the ribs was fully infused into the broth a highly nutritious bowl of soup.

She didn’t know how long it had been since she had eaten pork ribs, not since her mother entered the hospital.

What did Zhu Lingyi mean by this? Giving her a slap and then a sweet date? Was this a compliance test? Or was she testing to see if she had Stockholm Syndrome?

And this maid standing beside her… she was likely there to monitor her under Zhu Lingyi’s orders, making sure she finished this “generously” prepared feast.

Heh.

Qin Shuyue took another sip of the soup. Without a word, she cleared the table.

Afterward, the maid beat her to it and gathered the empty dishes into the sink. She turned and smiled at Qin Shuyue. “Miss Qin, if there’s nothing else, you may leave.”

But Qin Shuyue didn’t leave.

She walked to the sink and looked at the pile of dishes. She shook her head. “I’ll do it.”

Before the maid could say anything, Qin Shuyue had already turned on the faucet and started washing. She didn’t want to owe Zhu Lingyi anything. The maid had no choice but to retreat quietly.

She didn’t know what was happening today.

A sudden, violent wave of dizziness hit Qin Shuyue. The food she had just eaten seemed to churn in her stomach, making her want to gag. Over the sound of the rushing water, a sharp ringing pierced her ears, seemingly drilling through her eardrums.

She gripped the edge of the sink painfully with one hand, while the other clutched her splitting headache. Buried memories sprang forth from her mind at the worst possible time.

‘Qin Shuyue, wash the dishes for us. 100 yuan a bowl, how about it?’

‘100 yuan? Tsk. Jiajia, there’s no need to give that much. Is she worth 100?’

‘But since Jiajia spoke up little mute, go wash them. There are ten bowls total for the four of us.’

‘1,000 yuan. Wow, I have to say, you guys are being too generous to her!’

Song Jiajia stood aside with her arms crossed, looking troubled as she said to the others, “The teacher said we should care for the under-privileged students. There’s nothing shameful about earning money with your own two hands. Right?”

‘If you say so!’

A sneer flickered across Song Jiajia’s lips. She strode up to Qin Shuyue and shoved her hard, knocking her to the ground. The others behind her grabbed her and dragged her to the bathroom sink, pointing at the pile of dishes and glaring at her. ‘Wash them! Wash them for me!!’

‘People like you were born to do this kind of work. Stop acting so noble.’

They laughed maniacally as they turned on the faucet. The sound of the water roared, haunting Qin Shuyue like a nightmare. The water overflowed from the sink, and icy water drenched her from head to toe.

“No!”

Qin Shuyue suddenly mustered all her strength and slammed her palm onto the porcelain. The sharp pain shot through every nerve, tearing a hole through her drifting memories and dragging her back to reality.

Memory and reality overlapped once more. She stared blankly at the dishes in the sink. The sound of the faucet drummed against her fragile eardrums again and again.

Suddenly, her vision went black.

Flickering colorful circles danced before her eyes, and her consciousness snapped. Her body, as if its core had been removed, began to fall straight back.

Just when she thought she would hit the ground hard, her mid-air body was suddenly and firmly caught in a pair of arms.

In the second before her eyes closed, Qin Shuyue seemed to see a face that was both familiar and blurred. Within her fading consciousness, two thoughts circled.

Is it Mom?

I miss you so much.

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