After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The Stolen Spot

It was absolutely impossible to defend herself, but she knew Shen Ying’s character she would never have brought it up if she wasn’t completely sure. The matter was absolutely true.

She didn’t do it, yet someone secretly switched the spot. Who was responsible for this?

Song Zhi: “I will find out who did this and give you an explanation. I truly did not do this.”

Shen Ying remained silent. Song Zhi suddenly recalled Xie Yu’s earlier insistence on Shen Ying’s dislike for her when they first met.

And now, after all this time, she finally understood the reason.

Song Zhi looked at Shen Ying’s cold expression and asked cautiously in a low voice: “Is that okay?”

Shen Ying, however, said: “No need. It’s your business if someone is using your name to do these things. You don’t have to tell me.”

Song Zhi looked at Shen Ying’s indifferent expression. The line of her face was sharp and clean, outlining a slender profile under the bright lights.

This Shen Ying made Song Zhi uneasy. She felt that this Shen Ying harbored many thoughts she was unaware of, and these thoughts excluded her.

Or rather, from the very beginning, Shen Ying had never considered a future with her. Song Zhi wanted to integrate herself into every moment of Shen Ying’s future plans.

She found it difficult to let go of Shen Ying. If asked about the extent of her like or love, she couldn’t quantify it.

A thought flickered in her mind. She asked: “Do you believe me?”

Shen Ying: “It’s not about believing or not believing. It’s just that you wouldn’t stoop to doing such things.”

Song Zhi stood below the step, looking up at her with a smile.

In that moment, she ignored the indifference in Shen Ying’s tone and focused on the latter part of the statement.

Beside them, Xie Yu was very unconvinced. She said angrily: “You just believe her like that, Shen Ying? You’ve been harmed so many times because of her!”

Song Zhi felt a surge of dissatisfaction. Shen Ying hadn’t even said anything, yet Xie Yu was here acting the part of the outraged defender.

She clearly doesn’t like her much either.

Song Zhi also wanted to know Shen Ying’s thoughts, and she quickly looked up at her.

For some reason, Shen Ying’s cheeks were taut, her jawline forming a beautiful curve, and she remained silent for a long time.

Song Zhi’s heart instantly leaped into her throat.

Anxious and unsettled.

Why isn’t she speaking? Is she trying to figure out how to express her resentment without hurting my feelings?

So, is she blaming me?

She should, too. If it weren’t for her, Shen Ying would have probably gone abroad long ago, escaping this place she had long resented.

After a moment, Shen Ying said: “I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault.”

Song Zhi sighed in relief.

Song Zhi smiled playfully: “I have something to tell you tonight. Just a heads-up.”

Shen Ying nodded: “Me too.”

What could Shen Ying want to tell her?

Song Zhi couldn’t help but feel curious.

She openly looked at Shen Ying, trying to discern a clue from her expression, but Shen Ying was as composed as ever.

What on earth is she going to say?

She really wanted to ask, but she couldn’t. Since Shen Ying had said she wouldn’t tell her now, she wouldn’t.

Besides, asking too eagerly would make her seem desperate.

That lowers my value.

The machine room had no signal, so Song Zhi told the two that she was going outside to make a call.

She called her personal female bodyguard.

The call was answered immediately after one ring. The bodyguard’s tense voice came through: “Hello, this is the Song family.”

The other end remained silent. The bodyguard’s heart tightened, and she repeated the words. After ten seconds, a soft laugh finally came through.

“Hello.”

Bodyguard: “Eldest Miss!”

Song Zhi: “I need you to investigate something.”

Bodyguard: “Yes.”

Song Zhi hung up and called Xie Chu. Xie Chu was the most experienced with this kind of thing.

Upon hearing her request, Xie Chu asked gossiping: “Oh, Song Zhi, are you going to confess?”

Song Zhi spun the smooth screen of her phone and mumbled: “Something like that.”

Xie Chu asked: “Are you going to buy a ring? My ex, though, wore one I made myself. Said it was more meaningful.”

Song Zhi thought of Shen Ying’s focused and meticulous face when working: “Then I’ll make one myself.”

Xie Chu immediately guaranteed: “Got it! Twelve o’clock tonight! Wait for my update!”

With her affairs settled, Song Zhi contentedly put down the phone.

Song Guan had always confidently kept the bodyguard by her side because the bodyguard’s parents were among the people who most frequently followed Song Guan.

However, for Song Zhi, the bodyguard was someone her grandmother had placed with her, which was why she tolerated her presence.

Song Guan was arrogant, cautious, cold-blooded, and vain. He would even disregard his own mother for profit.

He relied on Song Zhi’s mother to achieve his current status. Towards Song Zhi, he was caught between being reminded of his shameful past whenever he saw her and not daring to harm her.

Therefore, he could only keep Song Zhi under strict surveillance, preventing her from gaining her own support and the ability to resist him.

But despite his best defenses, Song Zhi had still failed to fulfill his wishes.

Shen Ying’s Intentions

“…Do you really believe her, Shen Ying?” Xie Yu looked at Shen Ying for a long time, hesitating, but eventually asked the question.

Shen Ying stood with her back to her, still looking at the doorway.

Shen Ying had been in that exact position when Song Zhi left the room earlier.

Xie Yu lowered her voice: “Don’t forget your grandmother…”

Shen Ying interrupted her abruptly: “I haven’t forgotten.”

As if afraid she would speak the last few words.

After cutting her off, she softened her tone, returning to her usual demeanor: “I haven’t forgotten. Everything I’m doing now is only for revenge.”

Receiving her confirmation, Xie Yu, who had been on tenterhooks since realizing Song Zhi’s identity, finally relaxed.

As long as she wasn’t disregarding everything and only thinking about so-called friendship, it was fine.

She now thought Shen Ying’s plan was brilliant: “Song Zhi is the Song family’s heiress. She must know many of the Song family’s secrets. As long as we take our time, we’ll find a way to take down the Song family! Shen Ying, you’re too smart! I never thought of this idea before.”

Shen Ying hummed in response.

For some reason, Xie Yu felt that her reply was very perfunctory, as if she only spoke to placate her verbally.

She told herself that this must be her imagination.

She and Shen Ying had shared only one goal for over a decade.

An Evening Interrupted

Actually, she felt that given her current relationship with Shen Ying, wearing a handmade ring was appropriate. She had seen the rings when Xie Chu and her ex-girlfriend were dating.

They weren’t particularly beautiful, but Xie Chu’s ex-girlfriend loved them, seeing them as a ceremony of their love.

As for Shen Ying…

The image of Shen Ying quietly making a ring suddenly popped into her head.

Those long, fair, and clearly defined fingers that calculate data and write papers, carefully grinding the ring in her hands.

The ring would surely reflect the light of the store, and Shen Ying’s pale hand would also emit a white glow under the illumination.

Song Zhi pushed the door and re-entered the machine room.

The data calculation was massive and required a long operating time. The group stayed until almost midnight, and the data was only half-processed.

Xie Yu frowned, looking at the half-finished data: “This isn’t nearly enough time. What about the other half?”

Shen Ying said calmly: “It’s fine. We can calculate it on a regular computer back home.”

She was very composed about the result. She had known the time wouldn’t be enough when Xie Yu first told her. Whatever they could calculate was a bonus.

Song Zhi, standing nearby, spoke up quietly: “Um, do you need to borrow a computer?”

Xie Yu: “I almost forgot!”

Only then did Xie Yu remember her again. It wasn’t Xie Yu’s fault. Facing the buzzing sound, the gleaming screen, and the vast calculation for an entire afternoon, it was normal for her brain to become smooth and unwrinkled when she finally relaxed.

But her joy lasted only a moment before she remembered what she had just said to Shen Ying.

She said: “Never mind.”

To use her and then think about completely draining her value would be too inhuman.

Song Zhi blinked at Shen Ying: “It’s fine. It’s just a phone call.”

She tried to use this method to tell Shen Ying that she was a useful asset and to utilize her more.

However, Shen Ying shook her head and said indifferently: “It’s okay. Never mind. It calculates quickly enough.”

“It really is fast. It’s instant. You can borrow it whenever you want.”

Song Zhi tried relentlessly to market her useful services.

But Shen Ying said: “It’s fine. The calculation will be fast anyway.”

Unable to sell herself, Song Zhi rubbed her nose in disappointment, saying listlessly: “Alright.”

Xie Yu, listening nearby, was nearly biting her tongue off. They were so close to accepting it!

That was the machine every computer science student dreamed of!

Luckily, she retained some sanity and managed to hold back her pride.

The machine room was only borrowed for this afternoon, so the three had to leave before midnight.

It took five minutes to shut down the machine. With the time needed to close the door and exit, Xie Yu planned to allocate ten minutes, utilizing the machine’s final residual heat.

While Xie Yu and Shen Ying were talking, Song Zhi quietly lowered her head to text Xie Chu, telling her to put everything away.

The extremely unreliable Xie Chu replied that it was too late to retract and told her to work hard and try to come home late.

Song Zhi: “…”

The Climax

By the time Song Zhi and Shen Ying arrived home, it was almost one o’clock.

Song Zhi looked down at her wristwatch, checked her phone, and then slowly pushed the door open.

Her demeanor seemed off. The low-quality soundproofing of the apartment building allowed Shen Ying to hear her quietness clearly: “Is something wrong?”

Song Zhi replied just as quietly: “No. It’s late. Let’s go in quickly.”

Then she glanced down at her wrist again.

Judging by her actions, she clearly had something going on. Shen Ying remembered Song Zhi saying at the machine room that she had something to talk about tonight. Shen Ying had also planned to talk to her tonight.

But she hadn’t expected to finish the data so late. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

Shen Ying didn’t know since when she had quietly begun to care about Song Zhi.

This is wrong, she told herself.

Then she pursed her lips, forcibly suppressing the emotions churning inside her.

Leaving only a hint of cold ruthlessness.

Shen Ying responded: “You go shower first.”

Song Zhi subconsciously said: “No.”

Meeting Shen Ying’s questioning gaze, Song Zhi forcibly swallowed the end of her sentence.

Song Zhi curved her eyes: “I mean, I want to tidy up the house first.”

Shen Ying: “Tidy up tomorrow. It’s very late.”

Song Zhi: “Not late, not late at all.”

That unreliable Xie Chu. I’m never asking for her help again. Is it ready or not?

Facing Shen Ying’s clear, cold gaze, Song Zhi’s mind, which was desperately trying to come up with an excuse, went blank. She said subconsciously:

“Because I…” she said: “I have something to tell you.”

Shen Ying: “Coincidentally, I have something to tell you too.”

Boom!

At that very moment, a huge cluster of fireworks shot up in the city area and violently burst open right outside the window.

A spectacular display of fireworks, like a dreamscape of celestial forests, instantly appeared before the two of them.

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