After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 48

It seems as though Heaven is playing a joke on her.

Qin Shuyue didn’t even know how she managed to take the bus back to school. After leaving the Linyi Hotel, she no longer had the heart to look for a part-time job. She wandered aimlessly through the streets for an unknown amount of time, her mind constantly filled with restlessness and unease.

Standing at the bus stop waiting for her ride, her mind refused to calm down. She clearly wanted to get along with her new roommates. But why? Why did it turn into this? What right did Zhu Lingyi have to cancel her work-study position? What was her intent behind posting those videos? Did she want Qin Shuyue to beg her? To beg for mercy and ask her to let it go?

Qin Shuyue still couldn’t understand how she had offended her. And now, she had accidentally stumbled into an interview at a hotel under Zhu Lingyi’s flagship. Zhu Lingyi must know by now.

Qin Shuyue crouched down, covering her face with her hands to hide her crumbling expression. How could everything be such a coincidence?

As the bus slowly pulled up, she suppressed the emotions in her heart. She forced a slight curve of her lips, trying to make herself look a bit happier. There were still two hours before her afternoon class; having returned to campus, she didn’t know where to go. Back to the dormitory? After a moment’s thought, she decided against it.

But where else could she go?

She walked and stopped, crossing an arched bridge and entering the pavilion in the center of the lake. There was a large lake on campus an artificial one. Rumor had it that Zhu Lingyi had commissioned people to dig it.

Tsk. Why was Zhu Lingyi everywhere?

Qin Shuyue shook her head, trying to shake all memories of her out of her mind. In the center of the lake, besides the small pavilion, there was a sculpture that continuously sprayed water. Fish swam and leaped, playing joyfully.

Qin Shuyue placed her canvas bag by her legs. She rested her arms on the “beauty-rest” railing and leaned her chin on the back of her curved hand. With her face slightly tilted, her beautiful yet pale countenance accompanied by a gaze of gentleness and exhaustion—was cast upon a small fish swimming closer to her.

The little fish was golden all over, its body round and plump like a ball, its belly bulging as it swam strenuously toward her. It gradually surfaced, lifting its head, its small mouth opening and closing as it blew bubbles on the calm surface of the lake. Its fins flicked rhythmically like the wings of a bird, and its two eyes looked up at the “giant” in the pavilion with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

In the world of a fish, one might not be able to distinguish between beauty and ugliness, yet this little fish seemed particularly excited as it circled around Qin Shuyue. Perhaps it took her for a goddess descended from myth, while it transformed into a lucky koi.

The fish’s behavior amused Qin Shuyue. She curled her lips, and the shallow smile lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to dissolve a few strands of the faint sadness on her face. Her arm grew sore from supporting her weight, so she shifted positions, laying her hand flat on the railing and resting her head gently on the back of her hand. Her obsidian-bright hair brushed against her right cheek and draped over her side. She stared intently at the fish in the lake as it performed tricks—one moment leaping out of the water, the next circling beneath the surface.

One person, one fish, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

Since her mother’s car accident and her father’s decision to give up on treatment, Qin Shuyue’s nerves had been stretched tight. She was terrified that if even she gave up, her mother would lose all hope of survival. She had never dared to dream of such a brief moment of peace.

A familiar ringtone sounded. Startled by the noise, the little fish scrambled away, diving into the depths and vanishing. Qin Shuyue gave a soft sigh, withdrew her gaze, and took out her phone.

It was Dr. Li.

She let out another heavy sigh.

“Who is over there?”

Three people were standing on the shore far from the lake pavilion. A woman stood in the center with two men flanking her. All three were of similar height, but the woman in the middle with her long black hair fluttering and a naturally elegant silhouette stood out prominently in the group.

It was a cold, feminine voice that spoke.

The man on the left froze for a moment. He fixed his gaze on the pavilion. The woman leaning against the railing had her hair partially obscuring her profile, making it impossible for the three to distinguish her clearly. It was only when the woman sat up and reached for her phone that the man saw her face clearly.

The woman standing next to him must have seen it too.

Yet, that woman said nothing. After casting a distant glance, she turned and walked away. Decisive and crisp. She didn’t say a single word.

The two men beside her were both stunned.

The man on the left was the first to speak, asking the buzz-cut man with glasses next to him, “Tsk. What does Zhu Lingyi mean by this?”

Xu Lian pushed up his glasses, his eyes flashing. “Yan Guan is the lake pavilion that Zhu Lingyi spent a massive amount of resources to build.”

Yan Guan was the name of the pavilion.

Gao Yin cursed, “Nonsense! Of course I know that! I’m asking why the ‘Little Chef’ is here. And why did Zhu Lingyi leave without saying anything?”

It was incredibly strange. In the past, if anyone dared to step into this private territory, Zhu Lingyi would have had them dealt with long ago. Today, she hadn’t said a word.

Xu Lian turned to look at Qin Shuyue, who was currently answering the phone, his brow furrowing slightly. “Perhaps it’s…”

“Perhaps what?” Gao Yin asked hurriedly.

But Xu Lian stopped talking.

Gao Yin cursed again. “Damn it! You’re stringing me along again!”

Xu Lian shook his head. He stepped forward to follow Zhu Lingyi’s receding figure. “Gao Yin, what do you think it is…?”

He threw the question back from a distance, but Gao Yin had no idea.

“How should I know!” He muttered a curse and quickly caught up. “Whatever, it’s none of my business so I won’t get involved. As long as those people at the old family mansion stay quiet and Zhu Lingyi has no worries, it’s fine. Xu Lian! Wait for me!”

Qin Shuyue’s call ended quickly. Dr. Li asked her to find time to come to the hospital, though he didn’t mention the hospitalization fees.

What could it be? In the past, Dr. Li had said the same thing over the phone. When she arrived at the hospital, he told her, “I’m sorry, Miss Qin. Your mother’s surgery was successful… but there is intracranial damage, and because the optimal treatment window was missed, in the future she might…”

Even if he didn’t say it, Qin Shuyue knew. It would be very difficult for her mother to wake up.

And this time, Dr. Li’s tone on the phone was markedly more serious. Qin Shuyue’s heart was in her throat, and her brain felt like mush.

2:40 PM. Class was about to start. At a time like this, she still had to go to class!

Qin Shuyue’s heart felt like it was being seared in a frying pan. Her job was gone, she couldn’t scrape together the hospital fees, Dr. Li’s words terrified her, her social relationships at school were a mess, and various harassments never ceased. One wave after another.

Qin Shuyue truly felt that her life was a failure.

She tried her best to calm her emotions, picked up her canvas bag, left Yan Guan, and walked toward the teaching building.

Today’s class was with the counselor. Typically, the counselor would make announcements five minutes before the end of class. Today was no exception.

Five minutes before the bell, the instructor stopped the lecture. She took out her phone, raised the portable microphone, and walked down from the podium.

She announced the notice as usual: “On October 13th, the school will hold an Arts Festival. It will be the same as during your freshman year, but with one requirement.”

The large classroom fell silent; one could almost hear a pin drop.

Ms. Chen cleared her throat. “Those who participated in the activity last time cannot participate again.”

Almost instantly, the students who had been picked last time breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a burst of cheering. To be honest, the participants from the previous year had been “forced volunteers.” Hearing that they definitely wouldn’t be picked this time made them dance with joy.

The counselor coughed twice, and the rustling commotion below gradually settled.

“As before, the draw will be conducted by the Class Monitor, Song Jiajia.”

The counselor gave Song Jiajia a look. Song Jiajia stood up from her seat, opened the lottery app on her phone, and slowly walked to the counselor’s side.

She skillfully took the microphone from the counselor and turned her phone screen around for everyone to see.

“I will still draw five people for the preliminary round. However, to prevent picking students who have already participated, I will draw eight names. We will fill the slots in order; if a previously picked student is drawn, we will skip them and move down the list until the slots are full.”

Song Jiajia scanned the class and asked, “Does anyone have any objections? If not, I’ll start the draw.”

Seeing no objections, Song Jiajia tapped the wheel with her thumb. As the wheel spun with a “creak-creak” sound, starting fast and then slowing down, the classroom was deathly silent. Everyone was sweating for themselves, while those who had already been picked were not worried at all some looked at their phones, others watched the drama unfold.

Qin Shuyue was among the anxious. She clenched her hands tightly. She didn’t want to be picked at all.

Thump A dull, short sound like a drumbeat echoed as the wheel stopped spinning.

The colorful wheel gradually faded, and five names appeared in order. Everyone craned their necks to stare at the phone screen. Qin Shuyue wanted to look too, but she feared she would appear too desperate and that Song Jiajia would mock her again, so she abstained.

She kept her head down, her hands clutched nervously on her knees, rubbing them constantly. She had no desire to stand out. Regarding school activities, she avoided them whenever possible. Performing on stage? The mere thought was terrifying. Consequently, her hands clenched tighter, fingers interlaced.

Song Jiajia turned the phone screen back, staring intently at the five names, a smile gradually spreading across her face.

“Yu Ming.”

A groan erupted from somewhere in the seats.

“Liu Jinmai, He Shuangran, Zhou Qi…”

Song Jiajia paused when she reached the fourth name. Her gaze swept lightly over the students, stopping at the end when she suddenly locked eyes with a pair of uneasy pupils.

The smile on Song Jiajia’s lips widened.

Qin Shuyue hurriedly lowered her head. Thump-thump, her heart rate accelerated, even the back of her head seemed to throb.

As Song Jiajia announced the final name, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Lin Shuang.”

Qin Shuyue exhaled. Fortunately, it wasn’t her. Her hands slowly relaxed, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.

“Very well,” the counselor took the microphone back with a smile. As Song Jiajia returned to her seat, Ms. Chen said to her, “Monitor, please organize the list and send it to me later.”

Just as the counselor finished her sentence, the bell rang.

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