After Transmigrating into a Book, I Had a Flash Marriage with the Beautiful Crazy Villain - Chapter 33.2

Fang Manwen chuckled. “Maybe you should be more assertive. Find the right moment to break through that barrier. From what I can see, Miss Chu is the type who won’t overthink things unless they’re spelled out for her. Hmm, a bit oblivious, perhaps?”

Song Qingyi fell silent again before finally turning to leave. It was unclear whether she had taken the advice to heart or not.

Fang Manwen smiled to herself, then turned back to her work under the parasol, leisurely continuing whatever she had been doing.

Meanwhile, when Chu Ling found the others, she saw them all huddled together and assumed something interesting was happening.

But as soon as she approached, before she could even open her mouth, someone shoved a pair of gloves and a knife into her hands.

“Perfect timing! Come help kill the chicken!”

Chu Ling stared at Qiu Shuang with a bewildered expression, her eyes full of sincerity. “What gave you the impression that I know how to kill a chicken?”

The two of them exchanged glances, both falling into silence.

Looking down at the tools in her hands, Chu Ling turned to the others. “So… who exactly bought a live chicken that needs to be slaughtered on the spot?”

Chu Tong and Qiao Wan wore polite smiles, while Qiu Shuang instinctively glanced toward her mother.

Chu Ling followed her gaze and noticed an awkward-looking woman standing beside Aunt Zhou.

“The chicken… I brought it. Thought it’d be good for everyone to have some nourishment. It’s home-raised, not feedlot chicken…”

As she spoke, the woman gradually lowered her head, as if dying of embarrassment.

The crowd fell silent for a brief moment before Chu Ling saw Aunt Zhou suddenly burst into laughter.

“Forget it, let’s just get someone to help. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Both Chu Tong and Qiao Wan had no objections neither of them wanted to get their hands covered in blood. Besides… though they both knew how to cook, they had never bought a live chicken to slaughter themselves and genuinely had no idea how to handle it.

Only Chu Ling, staring at the unfamiliar woman in confusion, leaned closer to Qiu Shuang and whispered, “Who’s that?”

Qiu Shuang whispered back, “My mom’s new girlfriend!”

Chu Ling’s eyes widened in realization.

Qiu Shuang had been raised by a single parent since she was very young. Apparently, Aunt Zhou and her other parent didn’t get along, so they divorced. Qiu Shuang stayed with Aunt Zhou, though she never changed her surname.

Chu Ling found it a little amusing and stole a few more glances.

The woman seemed socially anxious, sensitive to others’ gazes. When Chu Ling looked over, she met her eyes before flinching away like a startled animal.

Chu Ling gave an awkward smile. “She seems a bit timid, huh?”

She murmured the words to her friend, and Qiu Shuang nodded in agreement. “Tell me about it. Just calling her name scares her. You can imagine how bold she is.”

“Who would’ve thought Aunt Zhou liked this type.”

Qiu Shuang looked exasperated. “I guess. Not like I have any say in my mom’s business anyway. Oh, by the way, did you see Fang Manwen when you came over?”

Chu Ling nodded. “She’s sitting over there.”

Qiu Shuang grinned, her expression a little odd. “Then you and Sister Song…”

Before she could finish, Chu Ling clamped a hand over her mouth. “Alright, just shut up. No one’s going to think you’re mute if you stay quiet for a bit.”

Qiu Shuang blinked innocently before her expression shifted, as if she’d been grievously wronged.

Seeing her gearing up for another dramatic act, Chu Ling quickly cut her off. “Why did you invite Miss Fang? Did you already tell Aunt Zhou about your relationship?”

Qiu Shuang shook her head, turning slightly more serious. “No way, not yet. I’ll wait a while longer. Fang Manwen was invited by my mom apparently to thank her for ‘taking care’ of me.”

Chu Ling glanced at Qiu Shuang’s face, and her thoughts immediately derailed.

Oh, she definitely took care of you, all the way to bed.

Qiu Shuang’s eyes sharpened. “What filthy thoughts are you having?!”

Chu Ling gasped in exaggerated shock. “Nothing! How could you think that?!”

Qiu Shuang scoffed. “I can tell just by looking at your face. You think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Chu Ling averted her gaze and slipped away, pretending not to hear, denying Qiu Shuang any chance to press further.

Qiu Shuang shot her a resentful glare but didn’t chase after her.

The live chicken was handed off to a professional to deal with, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

With that settled, the group turned their attention to the remaining ingredients.

The picnic spot they’d chosen was perfect nestled between mountains and a stream, offering beautiful scenery and convenience.

By now, more and more people had arrived, and the riverside was bustling with activity.

Chu Ling helped with some simple food preparation tasks, like washing vegetables.

According to Madam Chu Tong, she was only fit for washing vegetables, nothing more. If she touched anything else, Madam Chu feared the entire group might end up in the hospital.

Self-awareness was something Chu Ling had in spades, so she obediently took on the task of washing vegetables and dawdled by the stream, taking her sweet time.

When Song Qingyi found her, she was leisurely rinsing greens while chatting intermittently with another girl who had also been banished to vegetable-washing duty.

The girl mentioned she was a student at a nearby university, taking advantage of the holiday to have a picnic gathering with friends.

Chu Ling couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. College students were just different so full of youthful energy that it practically radiated off them. In contrast, she had already yawned multiple times while washing vegetables, her spirits wilted like a little mushroom hiding in the shadows.

And this girl was so talkative. In just this short time, they had somehow exchanged names.

Chu Ling learned that the girl was named Wei Qiushui, a sophomore majoring in art education, and that she wanted to become a teacher in the future.

Their conversation was mostly one-sided, with Wei Qiushui doing most of the talking. Chu Ling, not wanting to make things awkward, did her best to play the role of an emotionless nodding machine.

Luckily, Wei Qiushui had a bright personality her chatter was constant but not annoying, which was why Chu Ling had managed to keep up the conversation for so long. Whenever the girl shared something amusing, Chu Ling would politely laugh along. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be awkward?

Mid-laugh, Chu Ling suddenly sensed something off, someone was standing beside her.

She turned her head and looked up, immediately meeting Song Qingyi’s expressionless face, which inexplicably sent a chill down her spine.

Chu Ling’s heart skipped a beat. Though she didn’t understand why she felt afraid, she had a distinct sense of impending doom.

But then Song Qingyi suddenly smiled. “What are you talking about? You seem so happy.”

Wei Qiushui, bless her heart, seemed to lack a certain level of social awareness. Without hesitation, she spilled everything they had just discussed, even throwing in, “Sister Chu Ling said she was really interested too! I was just inviting her to visit our campus sometime. I could be her tour guide!”

“Our university has a famous flower field, full of all kinds of blooms. There’s one section that’s in full bloom right now!”

Song Qingyi’s smile didn’t waver, but her tone took on an inexplicable edge. “Oh, really? You’ve already made plans? Lingling, it seems you’ve made a new friend.”

Wei Qiushui continued chirping away, completely oblivious to the shift in atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Chu Ling felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead, a creeping sense of dread washing over her.

If last time had merely felt like being caught in the act, this time the sensation was even stronger.

Song Qingyi was smiling, but Chu Ling could swear there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her eyes, if anything, there was a hint of something sharp and dangerous.

If this weren’t a society governed by law, Chu Ling had the distinct feeling that at least one of the three people present would end up on the ground or worse, floating in the water.

In other words, murdered.

The more she thought about it, the more Chu Ling trembled. To make matters worse, Wei Qiushui, for some reason, kept dragging her into the conversation two out of every three sentences seemed to involve her.

Even someone as slow on the uptake as Chu Ling was starting to realize something was off about this girl.

From the moment she had struck up a conversation, to constantly steering the discussion toward Chu Ling, to now making sure every topic circled back to her.

Chu Ling’s sluggish brain finally kicked into high gear.

Could it be… that this girl liked her?!

Perhaps it wasn’t love, just a naive crush?

But the moment she became aware of it, she felt another gaze sharpen upon her, piercing through her like needles Chu Ling might as well have been sitting on pins and needles.

Not bothering to figure out why Song Qingyi had been provoked, and fearing that the other might get upset and start dancing on the edge of the law, Chu Ling quickly called out, “Song Qingyi!”

Her voice caused a slight shift in Song Qingyi’s gaze, her expression turning somewhat indifferent.

Chu Ling’s scalp tingled, but she mustered her courage and said, “Come help, will you? Is my mom nagging again?”

Song Qingyi remained where she was, as if she hadn’t heard.

It wasn’t until Chu Ling felt her toes curling in discomfort, nearly at her limit, that Song Qingyi finally responded with a faint “Mm,” before stepping between the two of them. She moved close to Chu Ling and swiftly began washing the vegetables in the sink.

She worked quickly and thoroughly, making Chu Ling feel like a lazy slacker in comparison.

Guiltily, Chu Ling lowered her head and was soon swept into working diligently as well.

Wei Qiushui wanted to talk to Chu Ling again, but every time she looked over, she found Chu Ling blocked by the older sister who had just arrived.

Before she could even speak, she noticed the stunningly beautiful sister casting a cold glance her way, sending an inexplicable chill down her spine as if she’d glimpsed a malevolent spirit.

In that instant, Wei Qiushui felt a bone-deep coldness, and when she hurriedly averted her gaze, she realized she’d broken out in a cold sweat.

From then on, every time she moved, the other woman would fix her with those terrifyingly dark eyes.

Wei Qiushui finally understood those two had an unusually close relationship.

But…

Did Sister Chu Ling know? That her friend was this terrifying?

Stealing glances from the corner of her eye, Wei Qiushui concluded that Chu Ling probably didn’t, because no matter how cold the other sister seemed, she always responded whenever Chu Ling spoke.

The difference in how she treated Chu Ling versus how she looked at Wei Qiushui was night and day.

Maybe, she needed to find a chance to warn her.

With that thought, Wei Qiushui quieted down.

Meanwhile, Chu Ling gradually regained her composure as she washed the vegetables.

After saying goodbye to Wei Qiushui, Chu Ling pulled Song Qingyi along, carrying the washed vegetables back with her.

Only to find that the others had already started the fire and were preparing to grill.

“If you’d taken any longer, you might as well have come back just in time to eat. If Qingyi hadn’t gone to get you, how much longer were you planning to slack off?”

Chu Ling offered an awkward yet polite smile.

Grilling their own food was fun, and Chu Ling even tried roasting two skewers herself, only to nearly gag at how awful they tasted.

Banished from the grill, she had no choice but to tearfully resign herself to slacking off.

Then, someone tugged at her sleeve. She turned to find Wei Qiushui standing there.

But the girl looked wary, whispering like a thief, “Sister Chu Ling, come here for a second. I need to tell you something.”

Confused, Chu Ling followed.

And immediately wished she could turn back time, regretting it with every fiber of her being.

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