After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: A Little Song Who Is Afraid of Thunder

◎ Under her confused gaze, Shen Ying turned around and hugged her. ◎

A sudden rain began in the middle of the night. The rain grew heavier as the temperature dropped. Shen Ying was a light sleeper and woke up almost the moment the rain started.

She lay in bed, awake, and closed her eyes for a while, when she suddenly remembered something.

The room wasn’t facing the sun and the space was cramped. Only the window sill had a little light. Song Zhi had few clothes, and she would wash and hang them on the living room window every day after her morning routine.

Shen Ying just now thought of this. She always acted on her thoughts. As soon as this came to mind, she sat up from her bed and slowly came out of the room, being careful to make sure her feet didn’t make any noise with each step.

When she reached the sofa, she glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning.

The store owner had recently gotten sick and closed the shop, so she hadn’t been working. She had planned to find a short-term job during this closure, but it seemed the busiest time had passed after school started. She had looked at several places in a row but hadn’t found anything.

She had already started looking in the city center, but many shop owners, who were initially smiling, would immediately change their expressions when they saw her, urging her to leave quickly, as if afraid she would ruin their shop’s feng shui. It seemed they had also heard about those things.

Hong Kong City’s economy was prosperous, and there were many businesspeople. These people valued feng shui the most. The custom of praying to gods and worshipping Buddha was strong. It was expected that she would be avoided because of her inauspicious “Eight Characters.”

The sky outside was gloomy and the light inside was dim. As Shen Ying collected the clothes and passed by the sofa, she still couldn’t control herself, even though she had told herself before leaving her room that she was just going to collect some clothes.

She pretended to casually glance at the sofa.

Song Zhi, with her terrible sleeping posture, was sprawled out on the sofa. The thin blanket she was supposed to be using was all bunched up and tucked under the sofa. It was as if she knew her legs were long; one fair leg was stretched out a good distance from the sofa, resting on a small stool next to it.

Half of her face was buried under the blanket. The half that was exposed was flushed, and her beautiful features were peaceful, looking as if she were in a deep sleep.

That strange feeling from the night before last came back.

Shen Ying blankly covered her pounding heart. She had encountered the first truly baffling thing in her life.

Those people hated her and bullied her. She could avoid them, and she would, on a day far in the future, return the favor.

But she didn’t know what to do now.

Finally, Shen Ying sighed, resigned. She put down the clothes, walked to the sofa, and was about to pick up the blanket.

The closer she got, the faster her heart beat. It was racing in her chest like crazy. This brought her very close to Song Zhi.

But she was afraid her loud heartbeat would be heard. The moment she reached for the corner of the blanket, she quickly moved away.

Shen Ying was just thinking about giving up when, at that very moment, a white flash of lightning split the air. The room suddenly became bright, and a thunderous roar followed, deafening her ears.

Shen Ying stood in front of the sofa, and the clear light of the lightning allowed her to see Song Zhi’s expression, which went from flushed to pale, her brows tightly furrowed.

She didn’t know if it was because of the lightning, but in that instant, she saw a glistening trail slowly flow from the corner of Song Zhi’s eye. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was a tear.

Before she, who was frozen in place, could make sense of it, the body under the sofa began to tremble slightly. Then, a whimpering sound started.

It turned out that Song Zhi was afraid of thunder.

Shen Ying leaned over and tentatively reached out her hand, patting her back. The heat passed through the clothes to her palm. Her heart, which had been restless from its rapid beating, was like a long-floating ship that had found a harbor. Her heart also found peace.

This person was too good to her, so good that it left her flustered and anxious, so much so that her heart told her over and over again that she had to reciprocate, or she would be sleepless day and night.

The whimpering grew smaller and smaller, then gradually stopped. She cautiously let go of her hand, staring at that exquisite, beautiful face.

The tears on the face gradually disappeared.

Only then did she feel at ease. She took her hand back and tucked in the blanket. Then she suddenly came to her senses, realizing what she had just done.

She hurriedly left.

When she got to her room, she looked at the items on her table. She grabbed them and turned back.

When she saw Song Zhi’s brows gradually relax, she was completely relieved.

The next morning, when Song Zhi woke up, she found her blanket completely covering her, which was a rare occurrence.

She was self-aware and knew her sleeping habits. The number of times her blanket was fully on her was even less likely than the collapse of the Song family’s stock.

She sat up with a bit of a headache, looking at the faintly lit room. She guessed it was probably just after five o’clock. Based on her observations these past few days, Shen Ying usually woke up at six to read, so it was still early.

She had planned to sleep a little longer, but her surroundings were dark. The darkness was a constant shadow, especially in the distance, which was even darker than her immediate surroundings. It was as if something was hidden there, waiting for her to open the curtain or turn on the light, and that thing would turn into a ferocious beast and pounce on her.

She was about to get out of bed to drink a glass of water, but her foot touched a small stool as she pulled it back. Something with a bit of weight started to fall. Song Zhi was quick, pressing a hand to her temple and grabbing the thing that was about to fall to the floor.

By the light of the object in her hand, she could see what it was.

It was a desk lamp, lit with a faint, warm glow. It was probably turned down to a very dim setting so as not to wake her. Because the sky was starting to get light, she hadn’t noticed this dimly lit object in the room at first.

Song Zhi sighed.

She felt like she had given away too many weaknesses recently.

She was afraid of the dark, very afraid, but no one knew this besides herself.

Now, someone did.

She felt that she was being too weak. This was completely the opposite of what she had been taught. From a young age, she had only learned that it was a dog-eat-dog world and that she could never expose her weaknesses to others. Now that she had, what was she supposed to do?

She felt a sense of unease, as if she were standing naked in front of armed people. She would never know when a bullet would pierce her heart.

But because the person standing in front of her was Shen Ying, the tense feeling of having her fate controlled and being in constant danger of death dissipated.

Her mind only told her one thing: if it’s Shen Ying, it’s okay.

After thinking for a long time, the comfort brought by the soft light was obvious. It was clear that Shen Ying had a perfect grasp of her preferences.

Song Zhi’s eyes, which had been focused on the lamp, began to lose focus. Her mind also felt a bit hazy. The moment before she fell back asleep, she thought:

Never mind. It’ll be fine.

That old man was not a good person, so how could what he taught be any good?

Compared to the old man, she trusted Shen Ying, whom she had only known for ten-plus days. This was her gut feeling.

Doubt people not, use people not. Since she had chosen to trust Shen Ying, she shouldn’t doubt her. The only one to blame was herself for exposing her vulnerable neck to others.

When Song Zhi woke up again, it was already late. Shen Ying had made breakfast and was waiting for her.

The moment Song Zhi struggled to climb out of the warm sofa, she cursed her own laziness for not wanting to get up.

The next second, when she smelled the fragrant dishes, she immediately sprang from the sofa.

The dishes on the dining table had beautiful colors. A plate of soft, stir-fried, and slightly charred potatoes, a plate of bright red stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. The eggs had been cooked until they were slightly browned, mixed with the tomatoes that had turned to sauce. There was also a bowl of soup.

The aroma hit her as soon as she sat at the dining table.

Song Zhi wasn’t hungry at all. She had a high tolerance for hunger and could go two or three days without eating, though it made her blood sugar drop.

So at home, she didn’t torture herself by eating every day. She would only eat a bite when she was truly hungry.

Now, looking at the food, her mind was only thinking about what to eat first and what to eat next.

Shen Ying had just finished cooking and was tidying up the kitchen. When Song Zhi saw this, she also went in to help, ignoring Shen Ying’s repeated “no need.”

She understood what Shen Ying meant, but she really didn’t want to get a free meal, even though the money from selling that smartphone was enough for her to stay in a five-star hotel for half a month.

But their relationship wasn’t a transaction with a clear price tag. She had nothing to do right now, and Shen Ying was working so hard.

She thought of a word for their relationship: mutual help.

After thinking about it, she decided to change the amount on the check when she went back.

As long as Shen Ying didn’t gamble, this money would be enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

She stood to the side, watching Shen Ying expressionlessly stir-fry the wok. A continuous fragrance wafted from the pot.

Song Zhi couldn’t help but ask, “How do you make it so delicious?”

The ingredients were average, and the process was simple, without the complicated procedures of the chefs at home, but it was perfect for Song Zhi’s taste.

Shen Ying’s hand paused for a moment, then she continued to stir-fry. “It’s just that you like it.”

Song Zhi smiled. “Maybe more people will like it too. You cook so well, I’m sure many people would love it.”

Shen Ying’s voice was flat. “My parents said it was bad.”

Song Zhi said, “Then they have no taste! You shouldn’t cook for them anymore. I’m sure there are other people who would say it’s good.”

Shen Ying said, “The ones who said it was bad are dead, and the ones who said it was good are also dead.”

Song Zhi immediately fell silent. She hadn’t expected that.

Before this, she had thought of many reasons for Shen Ying living here alone.

She hadn’t thought it was because of this.

She looked at Shen Ying, who showed no emotional fluctuations. She felt that Shen Ying was actually angry. So she tried to say something playful to lighten the mood. “I’m still alive.”

As soon as she said it, she felt it was a terrible thing to say, and she quietly closed her mouth.

Shen Ying just let out a faint “mhmm.”

She was alive again.

So she happily carried the dishes out.

Song Zhi didn’t try on the clothes when she bought them. She just grabbed them, so they didn’t fit very well and were a bit too big. When she lowered her head, Shen Ying could see into her neckline.

The moment she saw her fair skin, Shen Ying immediately turned her head away, but she had already seen a patch of redness on her collarbone.

From her collarbone down, it looked like an allergic reaction.

After eating, Song Zhi enthusiastically cleared the table. As she was putting the dishes and chopsticks back into the sink, she felt a faint gaze sticking to her back.

It was very subtle, with no malice, but its presence was very strong.

Song Zhi had been followed many times at school, so she turned her head in an instant.

Shen Ying was standing behind the curtain, her eyes lowered, contemplating something. But caught off guard, she met Song Zhi’s gaze. As if she had been startled, her pupils suddenly widened. This change made her seem alive.

She was already beautiful, and her distant demeanor couldn’t hide it. She was like a rare and beautiful flower on a cliff face, beautiful but motionless, like a fake flower, and then she suddenly swayed in the wind.

Song Zhi suddenly understood her younger brother’s love for keeping small pets. Forgetting everything else, if such a beautiful person stood beside her every day, all of her anger would disappear.

Shen Ying’s startled expression lasted for only a moment. After that, she returned to her cold demeanor. The cold Shen Ying brought the item she was holding to her.

Shen Ying said, “A student’s parent gave me two movie tickets. Do you want to go?”

Shen Ying’s face was calm, but her hand gripping the tickets was sweating.

Movies were a rarity in a slum-like area like Qingnong District. She had never been to one. But Song Zhi, from her appearance, seemed like someone who was already bored with them. Shen Ying wasn’t sure if a movie, which she herself had never seen, was just a common and boring thing for Song Zhi.

She looked up at Song Zhi, waiting for her sentence.

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