After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: It Doesn’t Hurt

She walked ahead, and the two people behind her gradually closed the distance. Wearing high heels, she couldn’t walk fast. At this rate, she would soon be seen by them. What should she do then?

Because the two looked very much like they were on a date, she didn’t want to be humiliated in front of Shen Ying now. She ought to be haughty and condescending.

The valet put the key on the front desk and turned to walk towards the door, only to see the person who had driven the limited-edition sports car walking towards him. The valet had a deep impression of this person and instinctively showed a standard smile, but the woman with the delicate features bypassed him and walked to the front desk.

“Hello, where is the restroom?”

The receptionist pointed the way for her, and then said, “It’s further inside. Our place is a bit complex, I’ll have someone guide you.”

Song Zhi stood at the wooden counter of the front desk. In her peripheral vision, the two people happened to walk past her. She nodded.

The receptionist looked around and saw a waiter walking ahead, so she immediately called out loudly.

Song Zhi was startled by the sudden voice and subconsciously looked back, only to see the key on the desk. She reached out and picked it up.

The two people were already seated in the lobby.

Song Zhi waved her hand, “Thank you, that’s not necessary.”

Song Zhi found a spot diagonally behind them. A cypress tree as tall as her stood in front of her, perfectly shielding her. She secretly hid there, seemingly focused on the menu the waiter handed her, but in reality, she was completely focused on the two people in front.

The sour jealousy in her heart flowed out with a sizzling sound. Bubble after bubble swelled up and then burst open. The bursting acid seemed to reflux into her stomach, heavy and very sour.

Shen Ying had always looked cold, only spitting out one or two cold, brief words when Zhao Zhongdui spoke to her. After a while, Shen Ying said something, and Zhao Zhongdui handed over a piece of paper. Shen Ying stared blankly at the paper.

At this moment, she was utterly unlike herself; the coldness around her vanished.

After a long while, she finally picked up the paper gently, folded it with slightly trembling fingertips, and then placed it close to her body, treating it with great care.

Song Zhi felt a pang of discomfort again. Just as she was thinking she might be disturbing the two and preparing to leave, Shen Ying stood up.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up and saw the huge mechanical clock on the blue wall turning.

The minute hand was at the five position now. She decided to leave when it reached the six.

She was absolutely not waiting for Shen Ying, she thought.

Since looking at the clock, the ticking sound in her ears also became exceptionally noticeable. When the hand reached the six, she thought again, How about the eight? It sounds the same as ‘fa’ (meaning ‘to prosper’ or ‘send forth’), which is lucky.

At that moment, the small dessert she ordered arrived a small cream cheese and raw chocolate cake about half the size of her palm. She loved sweet things because sweets were the only thing she could manage to eat on many occasions.

But Song Zhi wasn’t here to eat today. She met the gaze of the small cake, which glowed beautifully under the overhead light, and then looked away from it. Wisps of sweet and cloying fragrance wafted into her nostrils.

Shen Ying still hadn’t returned.

She turned her head to look, trying to catch sight of Shen Ying among the many people emerging from the turn behind her.

Unfortunately, she didn’t.

As she turned back, her peripheral vision accidentally caught the cake again.

The waiter brought new cutlery just then. He placed the new spoon next to the cake plate, smiled, and told Song Zhi to enjoy.

Song Zhi really couldn’t resist. She picked up the spoon, intending to try a bite of the restaurant’s signature dessert.

Screech.

Everything, from the huge overhead light to the beautiful exterior shell outside the door, went dark.

The lobby quickly plunged into darkness. In a moment, screams and noises overlapped, and countless chairs were moved, making a grating sound.

In the second before the lights went out, Song Zhi had just taken a final glance at the clock on the wall; it was exactly 7:35 PM. Immense panic enveloped her in the darkness, like a fine, airtight net trapping her. Her whole body was so wrapped up she couldn’t breathe.

She had the illusion that she was back in the quiet room. The spoon in her hand could no longer be held steadily, and the clinking sound was drowned out by the shouts of the crowd. Her heart hammered wildly.

It was amidst the shouts that she slightly came back to her senses.

Shen Ying was still in the restroom!

Song Zhi suddenly stood up. Against the waiter’s increasingly loud pleas for everyone to stay put, she relied on instinct to walk toward the restroom, stumbling and being pushed through the crowd while calling out Shen Ying’s name.

A cold voice exploded beside her ear: “Song Zhi.”

The net was violently poked open with a huge hole, and sunlight poured onto Song Zhi. Her wildly beating heart instantly quieted.

Song Zhi looked up blankly. Her eyes were suddenly plunged into darkness, and her night vision had always been poor, so she could only rely on the voice to determine the approximate location.

Shen Ying: “Over here.”

The voice was mixed with the noisy shouts, but Song Zhi heard it clearly. She turned her head toward the source of the sound, not forgetting to play the victim at this time, “I didn’t follow you on purpose.”

Shen Ying must have spotted her from the beginning to find her immediately after the power outage.

Shen Ying: “Are you coming or not?”

“Huh?”

Shen Ying said again, “Didn’t you come looking for me? Are you coming with me or not?”

Shen Ying hadn’t expected that Song Zhi’s first thought after realizing something was wrong wasn’t to run, but to look for her.

Although Shen Ying hadn’t experienced it herself, she knew that someone of Song Zhi’s status was easily and frequently subjected to kidnapping and threats.

She had seen news reports of more than one wealthy child being kidnapped, and Song Zhi herself had been in the news for this when she was a child, having been kidnapped with her mother.

By all accounts, Song Zhi should be more cautious.

But her first thought was to find out where she was.

Shen Ying felt lost and helpless.

Wasn’t Song Zhi trying to mess with her? Then why be so good to her? What was she supposed to do now?

She wanted to keep things simple: liking was liking, hating was hating.

That’s why she kept herself isolated from the people around her, because she could never forget the faces of those who pointed fingers at her mother and the extremely harsh words they spoke when her father died.

But Song Zhi just wouldn’t give her a chance to push her away.

She was good to her, then bad to her, and then good to her again. This caused her great pain.

Song Zhi, hearing her speak so many words for a change, quickly nodded.

Song Zhi immediately followed behind the person, but because she couldn’t see clearly, she was essentially just stumbling along based on instinct.

Was Shen Ying not angry anymore? Had she forgiven her? she wondered.

There were many people coming and going, and she could feel the crowding. She struggled to push through the crowd amidst the waiters’ voices trying to maintain order.

She didn’t know who rushed past her in a panic. When Song Zhi heard the sound, she had already retreated a few steps, but she didn’t expect someone to be behind her. This backward step caused her to sway.

Unable to see clearly on either side, she instinctively reached out her left hand, trying to grab onto something, but her hand grasped empty air. The movement caused her body to lose balance, and she lurched forward sharply.

The feeling of falling and the inability to see were very distinct. The panic and fear of losing control filled her heart. Just as she thought she was about to fall heavily to the ground,

A hand firmly grasped her shoulder. Her forward-lurching body instantly stabilized. Her outstretched hand now had a place to land, and she quickly stood upright.

“Are you okay?”

It was Shen Ying.

Her strength was great, steadying Song Zhi in that instant. Her hand was very warm; the scorching body temperature was transmitted through the thin fabric of Song Zhi’s sleeve onto her shoulder.

Her panicked heart suddenly found a grounding point at this moment. Although the situation was still out of control, she realized she had a anchor.

Shen Ying’s hand moved from her shoulder to her sleeve.

Shen Ying didn’t speak. She just led the person out.

Shen Ying: “Don’t worry, the hotel just lost power. I’ll take you out.”

Song Zhi quietly responded, “Okay,” from behind her.

Perhaps because she couldn’t see, her voice sounded very low, unlike her usual excited and cute tone.

Song Zhi heard Shen Ying stop talking and felt even worse. She asked, “Are you going to find Zhao Zhongdui now?”

Shen Ying’s voice was cold, “No.”

Song Zhi asked blankly, “Then where are we going?”

Wasn’t she out to dinner with Zhao Zhongdui? She wasn’t going to look for him, but for herself instead. Could it be that Shen Ying cared about her more than Zhao Zhongdui?

Shen Ying raised an eyebrow, “If you’re not going home, what are you staying here for?”

Song Zhi “oh-ed” again, then said, “Because you were out to dinner with him.”

Her voice sounded even more dejected.

Shen Ying had no patience. She was disdainful of spending time with people who didn’t like her. Therefore, in this unfamiliar territory, she seriously considered how to make Song Zhi happy.

She softened her voice a little, “I’ll have a meal with you too.”

Song Zhi’s voice was muffled, “That’s not the same.”

“How is it different?”

Song Zhi: “Alone! Outing!”

Shen Ying: “Weren’t you eating something here?”

Song Zhi fell silent.

They were getting close to the exit, and the crowds had thinned out considerably. Light shone in through the glass.

The moon hanging in the sky also shed a faint glow. Shen Ying looked back and clearly saw Song Zhi’s expression.

Her brows were tightly knitted in distress, and her lower lip was lightly bitten by her teeth, looking very unhappy.

Shen Ying: “I wasn’t having a meal with him. I just needed something from him.”

Song Zhi let out a long breath. She realized Shen Ying was explaining to her.

Song Zhi: “What do you need? I have everything. Why couldn’t you ask me?”

Shen Ying let out a sigh. She had to remind Song Zhi, and also remind herself, of a fact: “Song Zhi, we…”

Song Zhi’s pupils suddenly widened: “Look out!”

Her words and actions were simultaneous. She lunged forward abruptly.

Shen Ying was tightly hugged by her and knocked a good distance to the side.

Then, a loud clank rang out at that moment—a very muffled sound, like something falling to the ground, followed by a crisp sound.

Shen Ying instantly turned her head. What met her eyes were glass shards scattered on the floor beneath Song Zhi’s feet, and her hand.

Her hand was positioned near her side, in a protective posture.

Three seconds ago, her hand was fair, but now, there were only large patches of red on it.

Shen Ying didn’t know exactly where the glass had cut her, but Song Zhi’s entire arm was instantly stained crimson with blood welling up.

Song Zhi saw her gaze, raised her hand to press her arm, and gave her a smile, with two shallow dimples: “It doesn’t hurt.”

Support After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary