After Trying To Pursue The Cold, Elegant Beauty. I Ended Up Being Flirted With Instead - Chapter 55

It turns out, she wasn’t incapable of crying.

Qiao Yu looked as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke.

She suddenly slammed the table, and the liquid in the coffee cup sloshed, a few drops splashing onto the expensive tablecloth, blooming into a small dark stain.

“I didn’t want to come? Wen Zhu, you get this straight, if Xiubai hadn’t been bewitched by you, did you think you were worthy of sitting here and talking to me?”

“Tell me! What exactly did you say to Xiubai? Who gave you the audacity to incite her to oppose me?”

The sharp questioning echoed in the small coffee shop, drawing curious glances from the staff and the few scattered customers.

Wen Zhu, however, just watched her quietly.

She watched this woman who had been the nightmare of her entire youth, watching her face slightly contorted with anger.

Time seemed to have been particularly kind to her, the maintenance bought with money made her look far younger than her peers. She was still the image of the high and mighty kuipo (wealthy lady) from memory.

But Wen Zhu realized that the fear that had plagued her for years had somehow vanished.

Perhaps it was from playing chess more often recently, which broadened her state of mind.

What once seemed like an insurmountable, enormous predicament now, in retrospect, was nothing much.

Just like Qiao Yu in front of her, she was still the same, but Wen Zhu was no longer afraid.

“I didn’t incite her.”

Wen Zhu paused, meeting Qiao Yu’s blazing gaze, and spoke one word at a time, “Furthermore, you certainly owe me an apology.”

“Not just for me, but for my mother.”

Mentioning her mother, Wen Zhu’s eyes became calm.

“My mother, back then, actually didn’t need to die.”

The fury on Qiao Yu’s face instantly froze.

Wen Zhu looked at her and continued, “During that car accident, my mother noticed you weren’t feeling well that day, so she offered to drive for you. Unexpectedly, the brakes failed, and that’s how the accident happened. But you, sitting in the back seat, were completely unharmed.”

When Wen Zhu’s mother was brought up, Qiao Yu’s face visibly turned pale, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

How did Wen Zhu know… How could she possibly know about this!

Wen Zhu seemed to see through her thoughts.

“You’re wondering why I would know, aren’t you?”

She answered her own question, her voice devoid of emotion.

“It was two months ago, when you were having afternoon tea with other wealthy ladies and discussing introducing Pei Xiubai to a suitable match from a good family. They asked about me, and how you planned to arrange for me.”

“Do you remember what you said then?”

What did she say? A hint of genuine confusion flashed in Qiao Yu’s eyes.

Seeing her like this, Wen Zhu suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous.

Of course, she had said so many things to malign her, how could she remember just these one or two sentences?

“It seems you’ve forgotten.”

Wen Zhu forced a smile, but the mirth didn’t reach her eyes.

“But I remember very clearly.”

“You said, ‘Wen Zhu, oh, don’t worry about her. Her mother died in my place back then. She’s just the type to work like a slave for my family. My Xiubai would never marry her.'”

Wen Zhu’s eyes were as placid as a deep pool, but it was this extreme calm that made Qiao Yu, for the first time, sense a chilling dread from this girl she had never held in high regard.

“Everything was such a coincidence,” Wen Zhu’s voice was very soft, yet it clearly entered Qiao Yu’s ears. “I happened to go back that day to fetch a document your young mistress had left at home.”

“And then, I heard those words.”

It was in that very instant that she learned that the tragic car accident that claimed her mother’s life was originally meant for someone else.

Yet, this absurd matter was lightly suppressed simply because Qiao Yu didn’t want others to think she owed Wen Zhu.

It was precisely at the moment she heard those words that Wen Zhu completely made up her mind.

Pei Xiubai’s aloofness was one thing, but Qiao Yu’s existence, even more, made her feel disgusted to the core.

Hearing Wen Zhu reveal the events of that year, the high-and-mighty facade on Qiao Yu’s face finally cracked.

A thread of genuine panic leaked from her eyes.

However, Qiao Yu was accustomed to her high position; after a brief moment of alarm, she quickly forced herself to be composed, harshly rebutting, “You’re talking nonsense! What evidence do you have?!”

Wen Zhu smiled.

“Madam Pei, you’ve been in a high position for so many years, don’t you understand one principle?”

She slowly stirred the Americano in her cup, the ice cubes clinking against the glass, making a crisp sound.

“Many things don’t require evidence.”

“As long as… someone wants to investigate, they will surely find something, won’t they?”

This sentence was like an invisible vise, tightly gripping Qiao Yu’s throat.

Wen Zhu didn’t continue the topic. She raised her hand to check the time on her phone; it was exactly noon.

She wondered if Li Zhiyun was awake yet and if it was time for lunch.

She placed her phone face down on the table, looked at Qiao Yu, and said in a flat voice, “You have your last two minutes. If you still don’t apologize, then I’m leaving.”

“When that happens, I’ll have to trouble you to explain to Pei Xiubai yourself.”

After speaking, her fingertips began to tap regularly on the dark wooden table, once, twice, three times.

Tap, tap, tap.

Each tap was like stepping on Qiao Yu’s taut nerves.

Qiao Yu’s expression was no longer the initial calm and composure.

She finally began to truly scrutinize the girl in front of her.

Wen Zhu had changed.

She was no longer the little pitiful girl who would panic all night long and lose her appetite just because of a single look from her.

Realizing this, an unspeakable anxiety rose from her heart.

Her daughter’s coercion, the re-emergence of old matters… If Wen Zhu investigated…

Qiao Yu closed her eyes, her expression shifting dramatically.

Finally, a look of near humiliation surfaced on her well-maintained face.

She opened her eyes and almost squeezed out three words through gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry.”

Every word seemed to be gouged out of her flesh, her eyes filled with unconcealed hatred and unwillingness.

“For all these years, I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have been unpleasant to you. Clearly, you did nothing wrong.”

Wen Zhu listened quietly, “And what else.”

Qiao Yu’s face flushed instantly, her chest heaving violently.

In her entire life, when had she ever been so subservient to anyone!

She tightly clenched her fists, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.

“Back then, your mother died in my place. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have hidden it from you for so many years and continued to treat you that way…”

Hearing this sentence, Wen Zhu’s fingertips finally couldn’t help but tremble.

She slowly closed her eyes.

Mom, did you hear that?

When Wen Zhu opened her eyes again, they were completely clear.

“I won’t forgive you, Madam Pei.”

Her voice was very soft, yet every word was clear, landing heavily in Qiao Yu’s ears.

“What you owe me, you can never repay in this lifetime.”

Qiao Yu’s face turned completely purple.

Seeing that she had condescended to apologize, Wen Zhu actually dared to say she wouldn’t forgive her!

“Are you playing games with me?”

Qiao Yu stood up abruptly, knocking the table so it wobbled.

She pointed a finger at Wen Zhu, her voice sharp, “Do you believe I can find someone right now to kick you out of Yancheng? Do you really think that just because you left the Pei family, I can’t do anything to you?”

Wen Zhu looked at her flustered state, not even bothering to lift an eyelid, and said flatly, “Awaiting your move.”

These two words completely ignited Qiao Yu’s rage.

Without thinking, she raised her hand and swung it towards Wen Zhu’s face!

“Stop!”

A cold shout came from the coffee shop entrance.

That hand, wrapped in expensive perfume, hadn’t even touched Wen Zhu before it was intercepted mid-air by another slender, strong hand.

Qiao Yu’s wrist hurt. She looked over in shock, meeting the blazing fury in the newcomer’s eyes, and was startled.

“Xiubai…”

Pei Xiubai was so angry that her chest felt constricted.

She fiercely clutched her mother’s wrist, almost squeezing out the words through her teeth, “I told you to come here and apologize to Qingqing. Is this how you treat Qingqing? Do you even pay attention to what I say?!”

Qiao Yu was as strong as she was in front of Wen Zhu, and as guilty as she was in front of her daughter.

She immediately changed her expression, whimpering, “Xiubai, you don’t know, Wen Zhu provoked me first! She forced me to apologize, but then said she wouldn’t forgive me. How could I tolerate that? Do you have the heart to see your mother suffer this kind of… humiliation?!”

Pei Xiubai subconsciously looked at Wen Zhu.

Wen Zhu was still in the same posture, facing away from her, quietly looking out the window, not sparing her a glance.

The afternoon sunlight outlined her delicate and fragile profile.

The shape of her butterfly bones was exceptionally clear on her slender back, as if she might spread her wings and fly away in the next second, completely disappearing from her world.

An unspeakable bitterness and panic suddenly seized Pei Xiubai’s heart.

She suddenly calmed down, and when she spoke again, her voice was devoid of emotion.

“Mom, is Qingqing not humiliated?”

These words instantly stunned Qiao Yu.

They also made Wen Zhu, in her seat, suddenly feel a sting in her eyes.

But she still didn’t turn around.

Seeing that Wen Zhu still wouldn’t look at her, a hint of disappointment and sadness crossed Pei Xiubai’s eyes.

She looked at Qiao Yu again, her tone brooking no argument: “Whether or not to forgive you is entirely Qingqing’s decision. It must be that your apology wasn’t sincere enough. You go back first.”

Qiao Yu was still preoccupied with Wen Zhu knowing the truth about the car accident. She wanted to warn Wen Zhu not to talk about it.

But looking at her daughter’s cold eyes, she finally had no choice but to bite her lip hatefully, pick up her bag, and stomp out on her high heels in anger.

Once Qiao Yu left, the oppressive atmosphere in the small coffee shop seemed to dissipate significantly.

Pei Xiubai looked at the thin figure, for a long, long time.

After a while, she spoke with difficulty, “I’m sorry, Qingqing… I didn’t expect her to try and hit you.”

Wen Zhu remained silent, like a lifeless sculpture.

Pei Xiubai was completely flustered.

Since Wen Zhu left, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep.

She asked all the servants in the house and only then learned how hard life had been for Qingqing and how much suffering she endured in the years she didn’t see, in the home she thought was peaceful and secure.

She hadn’t known any of it.

She now realized more clearly that her Qingqing saying she wanted to leave the Pei family was never just a fit of pique.

Pei Xiubai couldn’t help but redden her eyes. She took a step forward, cautiously trying to hold Wen Zhu’s hand resting on the table.

“I truly know I was wrong…”

Her voice carried a trembling and pleading that she herself hadn’t detected.

“I will go back and talk to her properly. I promise, she will never treat you like this again.”

“Qingqing”

“Come home with me, okay? The Pei family without you is truly so empty.”

Pei Xiubai’s voice was thick with a nasal tone. She stared intently at Wen Zhu, the red veins in her eyes spreading like a spider web.

“As long as you come back, we’ll get engaged right away, okay?”

She took another step closer, the tremor in her voice becoming more noticeable.

“Aunt Yu must want to see us married too. Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”

Aunt Yu was Wen Zhu’s mother.

Hearing those two words, Wen Zhu finally deigned to turn her gaze away from the window, turning her head to look directly at Pei Xiubai for the first time.

She saw Pei Xiubai’s red-rimmed eyes and the tears welling up in those beautiful eyes.

Pei Xiubai rarely cried.

Raised as the Pei family’s successor from a young age, her mother Pei Xianyi had explicitly forbidden her from showing any sign of weakness. Wen Zhu remembered that she hadn’t seen Pei Xiubai’s eyes turn red since perhaps graduating from primary school.

It turns out, she wasn’t incapable of crying.

Wen Zhu thought, It turns out Pei Xiubai wasn’t unaware of what I wanted either.

She had always known.

She just hadn’t bothered to give it before, nor cared to mention it.

Was it too late to remember to make amends now?

“It’s too late.”

Wen Zhu spoke softly, her voice perfectly calm.

She looked at Pei Xiubai’s face, which instantly froze because of these two words, and pulled the corner of her mouth.

“Late affection is cheaper than weeds.”