After Encountering My Deceased Wife, I Became the Male Lead's Love Rival - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Showing Weakness

The burn on Ling Qiu’s hand was only briefly rinsed with water. She didn’t think it was a big deal, but Fang Ziyue’s sharp eyes caught it during the meal. Crossing the space between their chairs, Fang Ziyue grabbed her wrist without a word, a trace of darkness flickering in her eyes.

“Why haven’t you applied medicine to the burn?”

She had clearly traded mountain goods with the program team for all sorts of standby medicines, yet her wife didn’t know how to take care of herself at all.

Perhaps because Fang Ziyue’s pressure was too low, Ling Qiu instinctively tried to pull her hand back; she felt a terrifying sense of being suppressed. Realizing Ling Qiu’s struggle and fear, Fang Ziyue pursed her lips, forced herself to let go, and turned to walk out the door in a gesture of compromise.

“I’m going to get the first-aid kit.”

Fang Ziyue’s departure allowed Ling Qiu to let out a sigh of relief. She touched the wrist that had been grabbed, her heart beating violently. Just now… she thought Fang Ziyue was going to hurt her. No, not a physical attack, but… she seemed extremely angry?

Holy crap, holy crap! Mom! Did you see that just now? Fang Ziyue’s expression was terrifying! Scared the daylights out of me. I’m hugging my big dog to calm down. I thought she was going to hit her. Honestly, does she have some kind of mental illness? Why is she hot and cold like this? Agreed.

One moment she’s calm, then she blasts LMY into nothing. Then she’s laughing and chatting with Ling-jie, and now she’s suddenly terrifying! Man, stop talking so scary. Ling-ling lives with her! If she actually has an episode, oh my god… Wait, doesn’t the program team do background checks on guests? This person clearly has psychological issues. If she hurts someone during an episode one day, what then?

Flies don’t sting seamless eggs. The haters and Lin Mengyan’s fans were like hyenas and vultures smelling carrion, swarming in to suck blood from the wound. The sudden surge of foul comments in the live stream made Ling Qiu’s expression darken.

“Stop spreading groundless rumors. You say someone is sick—do you have evidence?”

Ling Qiu coldly responded to those claiming she was being deceived by Fang Ziyue. “First, she has done nothing against me. Second, she was simply concerned about my injury and went to get the kit. If some people call this ‘deceiving’ me, then I wish everyone would come and deceive me like this.”

She was nearly thirty years old; could she not tell who was good to her and who had ulterior motives? Fang Ziyue’s only plot was probably for her person… Tsk, damn that Fang Ziyue, did she lose her mind living abroad for four years?!

Ling Qiu ground her teeth inwardly. She would rather Fang Ziyue still liked Lin Mingcheng; that would be better than being made so passive and helpless like this. Fang Ziyue’s help always arrived at the perfect moment, which was what troubled Ling Qiu the most. Like a tightly closed clam, she was being constantly teased by the “soft down” of kindness and love until she was forced to open her heart and accept the other’s forceful intrusion.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that between this kindness and her, there sat a mountain named “Drugging and Intervention.” It was like a grain of black sand mixed into soft, sweet white rice the taste was enough to make one’s face contort with revulsion.

The woman leaning outside the door heard every word of Ling Qiu’s defense of the live stream. Having washed her face with cold water to sober up, Fang Ziyue was pale. Her clenched nails dug deep into her palms; a little more force and they would have pierced the skin and drawn blood. A heavy emotion flashed in her eyes, though she suppressed her chest from heaving violently.

Perhaps leaving Ling Qiu for a while was the best choice.

Fang Ziyue looked up and gave a bitter laugh. Her long hair, wet from the cold water, clung to her face, making her look somewhat fragile. She thought she was “well” enough to stand by her wife and protect her. She hadn’t expected a small injury on her lover could beat her so thoroughly, nearly causing her to collapse. A knight full of fear and flaws cannot protect her princess.

Creak… The sound of a chair moving inside was very clear, followed by footsteps approaching. It was Ling Qiu, wondering why Fang Ziyue was taking so long and coming out to find her. If she didn’t return soon, the food would get cold.

Fang Ziyue leaned against the wall without moving. The fingertips clutching the medical box tightened until they turned white. She was gambling.

Ling Qiu saw this scene the moment she stepped out. The tall woman leaned against the wall, where a white wild flower decorating the wall poked its leaves out to rest on her shoulder. The sunlight from outside fell by her feet, reflecting a warm halo. Whether it was the pure white petals or the warm light, if they were just a tiny bit closer, they could touch this woman who seemed as fragile as glass.

Fang Ziyue’s pale fingertips, her tightly pressed pink lips, the dazed and surprised look in her eyes as she suddenly opened them upon hearing the sound and the flash of embarrassment hidden within—all made Ling Qiu think of that photo titled “Negative Space.”

Fang Ziyue seemed not to have expected to be seen in this state, so her lips instinctively pulled into a dry smile. This made Ling Qiu feel even more uncomfortable. Silence spread quietly in the corner where the sun couldn’t reach. The woman who was always capable of livening the atmosphere and accommodating Ling Qiu’s silence suddenly stopped speaking. This made Ling Qiu realize just how much the other had done to create a comfortable atmosphere for her.

No one wants to be the life of the party forever. We are all flesh and blood; who doesn’t get tired? Fang Ziyue got tired too.

Loving someone is exhausting; Ling Qiu knew this. She once only had some goodwill toward Lin Mingcheng and thought it would be nice to have a companion, which was why she agreed to marry him. Yet even with just that bit of goodwill, she felt as if she were carrying a heavy weight after that incident, stumbling through every step. How much more so for “loving” someone?

Even though… even though she didn’t know if the other’s love was true or false, the actions taken to defend her could not be faked.

She let out a sigh and broke the silence first, taking the first-aid kit from Fang Ziyue’s hands and tilting her head. “Eat first. After eating, go back and have a good sleep.”

Ling Qiu rarely took Fang Ziyue’s hand, but she pulled the woman into the sunlight without allowing for refusal, bringing her into the human warmth filled with the aroma of food.

“You’ve been so busy these days your brain isn’t thinking clearly. I saw you leaning against the wall almost falling asleep.”

Ling Qiu provided her with many “exit strategies.” The woman being cared for allowed a smile to overflow from her lips, tinged with sweetness and a faint, bitter ache. Even without her memories, her lover would still pull her back into the human world.

She touched her left wrist, remembering “Ling Qiu’s” shout during her episodes: “Don’t worry about those iron thorns and cliffs; come home with me. I’m right by your side, I’m not going anywhere.”

Fang Ziyue suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Well, by a stroke of luck, the first attempt at showing weakness was a success. The ice-breaking mission was accomplished; wife’s concern: obtained.

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