After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Am in a Relationship with My Scummy Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother - Chapter 31

When Shu Yueqing froze, Huo Qingzhuo became somewhat dissatisfied with her silence. She turned around, reached out to wrap her arms around Shu Yueqing’s waist, and rubbed her face against the side of her hip. “You’re ignoring me…”

“I…” Shu Yueqing reflexively wanted to argue, but feeling the warm breath against her waist, the words vanished again. Her hand gently brushed over Huo Qingzhuo’s long hair draped across her back. “I’m listening.”

“Mm,” Huo Qingzhuo seemed to hum an indistinct response. She groped around and caught Shu Yueqing’s hand that was supporting her, pressing it against her own cheek. “Hot…”

Feeling the scorching heat in her palm, Shu Yueqing’s entire body stiffened. She wanted to pull her hand away, but Huo Qingzhuo held it tight, making it impossible to withdraw.

“I’ll help you up and back to your room.” Taking a deep breath, Shu Yueqing stabilized her wavering mind. She took the room card out of Huo Qingzhuo’s pocket to check the number, intending to help her stand.

But the drunk Huo Qingzhuo was soft all over and completely uncooperative. In the end, Shu Yueqing could only let Huo Qingzhuo hug her, carrying the girl as she hung off her body. She didn’t forget to pull a hat low over Huo Qingzhuo’s head and put a mask on her.

Half-supporting and half-carrying her, Shu Yueqing finally managed to get Huo Qingzhuo into the elevator. Fortunately, at this hour, there weren’t many people in the hotel, and few were using the elevator, so they didn’t run into anyone.

However, just as Shu Yueqing let out a sigh of relief, seeing that they were only one floor away from Huo Qingzhuo’s destination, the elevator stopped, and someone walked in.

The person who entered was clearly surprised. “Shu Yueqing? What are you doing here?”

The newcomer was none other than Rong Qing.

Rong Qing’s gaze moved from Shu Yueqing to the person in her arms who was clearly semi-conscious. However, because Huo Qingzhuo was wearing a hat and mask, she didn’t recognize her.

Shu Yueqing pulled Huo Qingzhuo closer into her embrace, treating Rong Qing as if she were thin air.

“No way, Shu Yueqing, can’t you see me? You’ve got something going on, don’t you?”

The more Shu Yueqing tried to ignore her, the more Rong Qing pushed. “We haven’t seen each other in so long. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to A-City? Right? At least let me play the part of the local host.”

Ding!

The elevator finally reached Huo Qingzhuo’s floor. Shu Yueqing felt relieved and supported Huo Qingzhuo as they stepped out.

“Hey? You’re just leaving like that? Let’s chat for a bit.”

As Rong Qing spoke, she moved to follow them off the elevator.

Shu Yueqing stopped in her tracks and looked back at the exceptionally tactless Rong Qing. “Get lost.”

Under Shu Yueqing’s cold, threatening gaze, Rong Qing reluctantly reached out and pressed the door-close button. The elevator doors slowly shut.

Watching the elevator numbers start moving again, the coldness on Shu Yueqing’s face faded. She used the room card to open Huo Qingzhuo’s door, helped her inside, and closed the door behind them.

But as soon as she inserted the card to turn on the lights, Huo Qingzhuo in her arms became restless again, going limp as if she were about to slide to the floor.

Shu Yueqing caught her. The soft, slender waist was so delicate it felt like she could barely hold on.

With a sigh, Shu Yueqing realized she truly had no way to deal with Huo Qingzhuo. She took off her own high heels and, barefoot, picked Huo Qingzhuo up in a princess carry, walked into the bedroom, and laid her on the bed.

Just as she was about to stand up, Shu Yueqing felt a weight around her neck. At some point, Huo Qingzhuo’s arms had looped around her. She looked down at Huo Qingzhuo beneath her. “Qingzhuo, let go.”

Huo Qingzhuo, who had been closing her eyes, opened them upon hearing Shu Yueqing’s voice. She stared at Shu Yueqing, who was inches away, for a moment before suddenly laughing. “President Shu, you’re so pretty.”

Shu Yueqing: “…”

How does this person turn into someone else when they’re drunk? Steadying her heart—which was racing, perhaps due to the physical exertion—Shu Yueqing convinced herself that she couldn’t hold a grudge against a drunk person.

Seeing that communication with Huo Qingzhuo was impossible, Shu Yueqing propped one hand beside Huo Qingzhuo’s ear while the other attempted to pull Huo Qingzhuo’s hands down.

Before Shu Yueqing could touch her hands, she felt a heavy tug on the back of her neck. Her whole body fell forward uncontrollably, and she happened to land right on Huo Qingzhuo’s lips… which tasted of the sweet and sour flavor of the dessert.

A boom went off in her head, and Shu Yueqing’s entire mind went blank. Meanwhile, the dead-drunk Huo Qingzhuo was completely unaware. Instead, she instinctively nibbled on the thing delivered to her lips, but because of the alcohol, her bite was soft and powerless. Not only was it not painful, but it even carried a hint of flirtatiousness.

Her hands gripped the bedsheets tightly. Shu Yueqing’s breathing became heavy. Even though she knew she should leave immediately, her body couldn’t move an inch.

Clearly, Huo Qingzhuo was the vulnerable one, yet she held all the initiative. Things were quickly spiraling toward a loss of control. When Huo Qingzhuo’s hand slid toward her lower back, Shu Yueqing snapped out of her daze and frantically pushed her away.

Standing by the bed, Shu Yueqing touched her lips in disbelief. She looked at Huo Qingzhuo on the bed, who was clearly unhappy and still mumbling, and essentially fled the scene.

She rushed back to H-City from A-City overnight. Shu Yueqing didn’t sleep a wink; her mind constantly replayed that sudden kiss and everything that had been deeply etched into her memory, making it impossible to rest.

Shu Yueqing left in the middle of the night, while Huo Qingzhuo knew nothing about it.

Huo Qingzhuo didn’t realize her alcohol tolerance in this life was so poor. In her past life, she could drink alcohol of this percentage like water, but now it left her completely wasted and blacked out. The most vivid memory left in her mind was Shu Yueqing telling her she was still a child and that she should focus on her studies.

Clutching her aching head, Huo Qingzhuo climbed out of bed, kicked off the shoes still on her feet, and looked around. She assumed she had walked back herself last night and didn’t think much of it.

Taking advantage of it only being five o’clock, she had time to take a shower and order some hangover soup and breakfast. By seven, she checked out on time and rushed to school.

A-University was top-tier in terms of grades and talent cultivation, but it was not strict. In fact, it could be described as very relaxed; more than half the students didn’t spend all their time on campus.

The motto of A-University was: “Either seize opportunity or create it. If you miss a natural opportunity, create a new one yourself.”

Except for the mandatory check-in at the beginning of the term, all remaining time was left for the students to manage themselves.

Furthermore, students chose their own courses, and there was no roll call or signing in; it was all based on self-discipline. Even if one didn’t attend class, it didn’t matter—all lectures were live-streamed simultaneously, allowing students to attend from off-campus or review replays.

Among top-tier universities, A-University’s relaxed environment was unique, but it was based on the students themselves. Those who could get into A-University were no fools, and the faculty was world-class, so even without school pressure, 90% of the students studied seriously.

In this free environment, students could study while also gaining practical experience outside. Occasionally, there would be guest lectures by famous people, with advance notice provided. Attendance was voluntary, though almost every session was packed.

Huo Qingzhuo arrived at school on time. After collecting her materials, the morning was set aside for students to adapt and learn about the campus. The freshman ceremony followed in the afternoon, and formal classes would begin the next day.

Huo Qingzhuo adapted well to A-University’s learning environment. In her past life, she was a self-made entrepreneur and was ignorant of many things, which made it hard to intervene in many fields. Now that she had this opportunity, she naturally wouldn’t let it go.

As they say, ignorance is bliss. Huo Qingzhuo had forgotten everything about that night and woke up the next day happily starting her university life.

However, Shu Yueqing wasn’t so lucky. She hadn’t recovered for three or four days, especially since what she thought about by day, she dreamed of by night. Every time she woke up from a dream, Shu Yueqing would be caught in a tangle of distress for a long time.

Waking up from a dream once again, Shu Yueqing drank a glass of water and leaned against the headboard, her expression weary.

Shu Yueqing felt she had always treated Huo Qingzhuo like a child, much like Shen Junfu. Additionally, because this junior was particularly to her liking and had a difficult life, she always wanted to mentor and help her. Not to mention, Huo Qingzhuo had been hospitalized twice because of her and Shen Junfu, so she felt these things were owed.

Furthermore, regarding those things Huo Qingzhuo had said before, Shu Yueqing thought she hadn’t truly taken them to heart, considering them a child’s temporary joke.

But Shu Yueqing hadn’t expected things to develop to this point. It made her feel… a sense of guilt, like “an old cow eating tender grass.”

She opened her phone and looked at the chat box. On it was the message Huo Qingzhuo had sent the morning after getting drunk.

[Huo Qingzhuo: Sorry, President Shu. I might not have controlled my alcohol well last night. Did I cause you any trouble?]

Polite and formal. Shu Yueqing didn’t reply.

Seeing this message, she knew Huo Qingzhuo had forgotten everything from the night before. Shu Yueqing was inevitably relieved, but that was immediately followed by a wave of guilt, mixed with a trace of inexplicable disappointment. It only made her feel more conflicted and upset.

After another poor night’s sleep, when Shu Yueqing went to the company the next day, she couldn’t hide the fatigue between her brows.

“President Shu, are you feeling alright? Why don’t you go take a rest?”

The assistant had been by Shu Yueqing’s side for many years and understood her capabilities. She rarely encountered major problems, and even in the beginning when Shu Yueqing first joined the company and was incredibly busy, she had never looked this haggard.

“No need.” Shu Yueqing felt she just hadn’t slept well and didn’t take it to heart. After handling a couple of files, she received a video call request from Shen Junfu.

Shen Junfu’s school had started long ago. Shu Yueqing had flown there once to see how she was adapting and to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, even gifting her a complete set of laws and regulations.

After seeing that Shen Junfu was adapting well, she was relieved. Although the two didn’t contact each other much after that, Shen Junfu sent regular greetings, and they actually talked more than they had during her high school years.

Connecting the video on her computer, Shu Yueqing leaned back in her chair. It was already nighttime on Shen Junfu’s end.

When the call first connected, Shen Junfu looked quite happy. Then, seeing Shu Yueqing’s complexion, her smile faded. “Mom, did something happen? Why do you look so terrible?”