After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 4

No one is born lowly.

“What can you do?”

Zhu Lingyi did not look at her again. She lowered her head and picked up her knife and fork once more to cut her steak.

She cut the steak into a small piece and placed it in her mouth.

Her soft, delicate black hair fell like a waterfall as she lowered her eyes, draping obediently over one side of her shoulder, while spots of warm orange light sprinkled over every part of her body.

The sharp line of her jaw became less fierce under the softening of the warm lamp; even the person herself seemed less cold and cruel.

Yet the loose shirt draped over her body appeared increasingly ascetic and alluring amidst this rather ambiguous lighting.

This sudden question made Qin Shuyue recall the time her mother was hospitalized after a car accident and her father moved out.

Qin Shuyue relied on the living expenses her father sent every month to pay for her tuition and surgery fees. Life was tight and difficult.

She had no choice but to be self-reliant.

She went from cooking a pot of black charcoal at the very beginning to achieving the right balance of saltiness.

Qin Shuyue had a tiny bit of confidence in herself.

However, before she could respond, the steak and pasta on Zhu Lingyi’s plate were already finished. She picked up a napkin, wiped her mouth, grabbed her phone, got up, and left.

She didn’t seem to have taken her own words to heart.

The small glimmer of hope in Qin Shuyue’s eyes vanished once more.

She lowered her gaze, her hand holding the small knife trembling with unease.

Looking at the steak with its excellent presentation—black pepper, garnished with alternating slices of lemon and green fruit leaves—she suddenly lost heart.

With her own skills, it was impossible to satisfy Zhu Lingyi’s palate.

She couldn’t do it.

She kept her head down, biting her lower lip hard.

Qin Shuyue comforted herself in this way.

Zhu Lingyi tapped on a girl’s chat box and saw that the girl on the other side had instantly accepted the 500 yuan. A text reply came back saying “Thank you,” followed by a kissing emoji.

At that moment, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Qin Shuyue, seeing her still sitting stiffly in her chair, gripping her knife and fork tightly.

She walked forward and lightly patted her shoulder.

“You…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Qin Shuyue let out a terrified scream.

She clutched her head and scrambled frantically to hide under the dining table.

“Ugh!”

Zhu Lingyi was startled by such a large reaction. She remained composed, silently watching her panicked and aimless behavior.

What is she doing? Why such a reaction?

The tablecloth was ruffled into a messy heap by Qin Shuyue. The plate of steak teetered on the edge of the table, ready to topple onto Qin Shuyue’s head at any second.

Zhu Lingyi reached out and pushed the plate further inward.

Then, she leaned one hand on the edge of the table, arched her back, and tilted her head slightly, staring at Qin Shuyue with an inquisitive look.

Qin Shuyue looked up sharply, staring at her in terror.

After realizing who it was, she let out a breath, and her reason gradually returned.

The panic and fear in her eyes faded, returning to that state where her brain seemed to stall, her face buried tightly.

Qin Shuyue wanted to stand up, but she was blocked by the woman in front of her.

“Heh~” Zhu Lingyi curled her lips. Her vivid red lip color appeared strangely enchanting under the warm orange light, completely at odds with the ascetic aura surrounding her.

“As my roommate, aren’t you prepared to give something back?”

Qin Shuyue froze. She asked blankly, “…Wha—what?”

“You’re staying here as a guest, so tell me…” Her other hand moved down from her waist, slowly tilting up Qin Shuyue’s chin.

Qin Shuyue’s eyes shimmered with tears and the lingering tide of fear that hadn’t fully receded, her eyes blinking incessantly due to the shock.

Are you nervous?

Zhu Lingyi curled her lips somewhat seductively. “Shouldn’t you pay me some rent?”

“Staying as a guest?” Qin Shuyue was confused. “What staying as a guest?”

Zhu Lingyi was speechless seeing her act so slowly.

Before entering this school, did she not look into anything at all?

“I donated a teaching building to this school.”

Zhu Lingyi pointed at the dormitory building. “Therefore, this is my territory. Didn’t you know?”

Qin Shuyue shook her head with a look of slight daze.

Her life as a freshman consisted of nothing but attending classes and working part-time jobs. She didn’t even know how many female dormitories the school had, let alone that she was expected to know what kind of place Heqing Court was.

Zhu Lingyi saw that Qin Shuyue could still zone out right under her nose.

She couldn’t help but feel annoyed; the grip on her chin tightened slightly.

“Hiss.” Qin Shuyue knitted her lovely eyebrows and let out a soft hiss of pain.

It seemed it hurt.

Zhu Lingyi loosened her grip a bit.

Her hand, which started on her chin, gradually moved upward, caressing her smooth and delicate face.

She thought all girls’ faces were the same—fine, smooth, and supple, like an exquisite porcelain doll.

But Qin Shuyue was different.

Her complexion was very pale, and it felt a bit rough to the touch; it couldn’t be associated with the words “exquisite” or “delicate” at all.

Yet her gaze flickered with pitiable tears that she refused to let fall.

A hint of stubbornness was revealed to her through those tightly pursed lips.

Unwittingly, it caused Zhu Lingyi to become entranced.

She carefully observed Qin Shuyue’s features.

She had seen too many women—the cute ones, the bright ones, the sexy ones—she had seen every type.

But only her.

The woman before her didn’t have particularly outstanding looks; if one had to say, she was perhaps above average. But her skin texture was quite unsatisfactory, not looking like someone who did skincare often.

If you called her “cute,” her eyes were indeed very bright and spirited, yet they were deathly still inside.

Zhu Lingyi really disliked seeing such sparkling, spirited eyes lose their vitality prematurely.

“Bright” seemed to apply a little, but not much.

Qin Shuyue basically kept her head down when facing people, and Zhu Lingyi had never seen her smile. Yet, upon seeing her face, she felt an inexplicable sense that she seemed very bright.

“Sexy” was even further out of the question.

Zhu Lingyi felt there was one word that could describe her:

Pure and unconventional.

It was as if even if life hit rock bottom, she would struggle in the mud to keep her chest high, being the most dazzling lotus—white, flawless, and inviolable.

Very interesting.

Only, such pure white should not be mixed with a single trace of filth.

When Qin Shuyue learned that the accommodation didn’t cost money, her heart skipped a beat with excitement.

Her mother’s hospitalization fees could finally be settled.

But in the next second, Zhu Lingyi’s hand moved restlessly from her chin to her cheek.

The strangely soft sensation felt like an electric current flowing through her entire body, making her incredibly numb.

Involuntarily, Qin Shuyue thought of the scene she had seen on the computer at the door this afternoon.

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself not to think about it.

But that shameful memory refused to leave her mind.

Her cheeks burned hot.

Like two very enchanting pink flowers blooming on both sides of her face.

Qin Shuyue’s reaction was very interesting.

Zhu Lingyi satisfiedly let go of her hand that had been making mischief on her face.

She stood up straight, returning to her indifferent manner, looking down on her with an air of superiority.

She reminded Qin Shuyue, “The vase you broke—what do you plan to use to compensate for it?”

Qin Shuyue’s eyes widened significantly.

She had known she must pay the money back, but she hadn’t expected Zhu Lingyi to remind her to pay at this moment.

She pursed her lips tightly, her fingers clenching hard, gripping the sides of her patched hoodie.

“I will earn the money to give to you.”

“Oh?” Zhu Lingyi raised an eyebrow, still looking down at her, but this time, a trace of contempt appeared in her eyes.

“Earn money with what? Your hands? To be honest, you might not even earn ten million even if you work for a lifetime.”

“Shut up!!”

She would not allow anyone to insult her like this.

Qin Shuyue was so angry the corners of her eyes turned red, her hands tightly clenched into fists.

Ooh.

The kitten’s fur is standing up.

Zhu Lingyi greatly appreciated this “bristling” appearance of Qin Shuyue.

However, she did not stop speaking.

“What? Did I say something wrong? If you spend your whole life working part-time jobs, how many times will the money you earn be enough for a hospital visit? If your parents get sick and need money urgently, what will you do… and then there’s the even more difficult problem of buying a house, isn’t there?”

The sentence “parents get sick… not enough for the hospital” deeply pierced Qin Shuyue’s heart.

It felt as if something heavy had suddenly dropped, hitting her right in the heart.

Her legs went weak, and she took several steps back.

The dining table pressed against her waist, supporting her so she didn’t completely collapse to her knees.

But her right hand, feeling empty and desperate to grab something, snatched the tablecloth.

“Qin Shuyue.” Zhu Lingyi’s voice was very soft, but it sounded like a startling drum in Qin Shuyue’s ears.

“That tablecloth was personally customized by the Italian artist Viennas Jobde Logan. If you ruin it, it will be out of print… Oh~”

Her voice trailed off with a slight upward tilt, carrying a lazy tone as she looked at Qin Shuyue indifferently.

Her expression was extremely faint as she spoke, so faint it made people feel she was cold-hearted.

Zhu Lingyi didn’t even lift her eyelids, yet there was an invisible pressure—the pressure of a superior over an inferior.

It made Qin Shuyue feel as if she were about to suffocate.

Her hand immediately let go of the tablecloth, and she didn’t dare get close to the table again. Qin Shuyue sprang away, her legs giving out, and she fell to her knees in a very wretched manner.

Until Zhu Lingyi finally spared her one last glance and turned to leave, Qin Shuyue did not say a single word.

She thought she would be angry.

But she only felt powerless.

A deep sense of powerlessness rising from the bottom of her heart.

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