Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 39

Jian Chun looked at Jing Ge with an expressionless face. Jing Ge was fuming, her mouth spewing a stream of foul insults. The students nearby who hadn’t left yet turned their heads, looks of pure astonishment on their faces.

Jian Chun brushed aside the hair clinging to her neck, seemingly unaffected by the vitriol. Beside her, Li Ying worriedly leaned in and grabbed Jian Chun’s wrist.

“Don’t talk to her, she’s a lunatic,” Li Ying said indignantly. “She tried to frame you and now she’s reaping what she sowed, yet she has the nerve to blame you for not letting her ruin you.”

As they walked out, Li Ying began whispering the details to curious onlookers. Those who heard the story agreed that Jing Ge’s actions were beyond the pale.

Jian Chun remained silent. She found no pleasure in this; it felt like a colossal waste of time.

They walked out of the building into the lazy afternoon sun. Jian Chun looked up and saw Zhu Feifei and Yu Siyi standing by the roadside, waiting for them.

Jian Chun flashed a smile. “Going out for a meal? My treat.”

“Oh? Good news must bring good spirits,” Zhu Feifei teased. “Let’s go for a buffet then—the kind that costs at least two hundred per person.”

Jian Chun: “…”

“Can I choose not to invite you?” Jian Chun retorted.

Zhu Feifei huffed. She was annoyed, but she didn’t dare pull Yu Siyi away. If Yu Siyi didn’t want to leave, she couldn’t move her. For a moment, Zhu Feifei felt like she was becoming a thing of the past.

Lunch and “Plastic Sisters”

The four girls headed to Lin’s Eatery. Since it was the last day of the National Day holiday, it wasn’t overly crowded. Yu Siyi had notified the owner in advance, so a table for four was ready.

This was Li Ying’s first time eating with Yu Siyi. To her, Yu Siyi was someone high above, unreachable. She remained quiet but wore a look of constant excitement, nodding along to everything Jian Chun said.

Zhu Feifei scanned the menu and showed it to Yu Siyi. “Siyi, do you want sweet pumpkin? Stir-fried celery? How about shredded pork with garlic sauce?”

Jian Chun watched their interaction. So those are Yu Siyi’s tastes?

“It’s great when someone else is paying,” Zhu Feifei said, pushing the menu back.

“I didn’t realize the Great Miss Zhu Feifei was so destitute,” Jian Chun mused.

“You’re the one who’s poor!” Zhu Feifei snapped back.

Jian Chun grinned, winking at her and showing off a sharp little canine tooth. “I am pretty poor. Want to be my sugar mommy?”

Zhu Feifei’s mouth dropped open in an ‘O’ shape, her brows furrowing into little mountains. “How can you be so shameless!”

“I still need my face,” Jian Chun laughed. “I live off my looks, after all.”

Yu Siyi seemed to be in a good mood. She had placed a napkin on the clean table and rested her chin on her hand, watching them bicker. Jian Chun smiled at her, feeling a momentary illusion of peace. This was the most relaxed day she’d had since arriving in this world. She had shed a toxic friend and, it seemed, gained a new one.

“I guess you aren’t as stupid as I thought,” Zhu Feifei suddenly remarked.

“I was never stupid,” Jian Chun replied.

Zhu Feifei smirked and glanced at Yu Siyi. Under the warm restaurant lights, Yu Siyi looked even more languid, her expression saying, ‘Do as you please, I don’t mind.’

Zhu Feifei pushed her empty cup toward Yu Siyi, wanting her to pour some water. It was a small gesture to confirm her place in Yu Siyi’s heart.

Yu Siyi glanced at her, wondering if she had been too indulgent with her friend. Instead of pouring, she simply moved the teapot in front of Zhu Feifei for her to do it herself.

Zhu Feifei filled her cup and looked at Jian Chun. “I thought you really considered Jing Ge a best friend. Turns out you two were just ‘plastic sisters’ all along.”

“What do you mean?” Jian Chun asked.

“You already know, why ask me?” Zhu Feifei rolled her eyes. “She’s been trying to sell you out for ages. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

“I knew a little, but not the ‘why’. Do you know?”

“I only found out because she kept asking Leng Yujie out,” Jian Chun added. “She probably thought my relationship with him wasn’t great.”

Zhu Feifei narrowed her eyes. “Did you know that Jing Ge likes that kid, Leng Yujie?”

Jian Chun genuinely didn’t know. Zhu Feifei explained that Jing Ge had been targeting Jian Chun because Leng Yujie liked Jian Chun instead. Every hurdle Jian Chun had faced since meeting the boy had likely been orchestrated by Jing Ge.

“Don’t Even Dream About It”

Jian Chun grew quiet. She felt lucky that the friendship had shattered now rather than during the final exams. She looked at Yu Siyi with eyes full of gratitude. Even if Yu Siyi hadn’t done much physically, the intent was enough to move her.

“Did you know everything?” Jian Chun asked her.

“Know what? Hmm?” Yu Siyi’s smile was playful. “That I’m on a date with you?”

Jian Chun laughed, figuring Yu Siyi was just teasing. Li Ying laughed along too. The idea of Jian Chun and Yu Siyi dating was so absurd that no one would believe it.

“A date? We aren’t even friends on QQ yet,” Jian Chun joked.

“You want to be Siyi’s QQ friend? You’re dreaming,” Zhu Feifei cut in. “Even I had to pester her for two semesters to get her contact info. Not that I’m encouraging you; it’s hopeless.”

Jian Chun chuckled. She liked the distance they had now—like the friendship of nobles, light as water.

“Actually,” Zhu Feifei continued, “for you, it might take four semesters. Unless you can get into the same university as Siyi… forget it, don’t even think about it.”

Jian Chun laughed harder, but she didn’t notice that the cheerful atmosphere had a cold spot. Yu Siyi’s gaze was fixed on her.

“You… you don’t actually like me, do you?” Jian Chun asked suddenly.

The mood was right, and Jian Chun felt a lingering unease. Yu Siyi was too good to her, too beautiful, and always helped whenever Jian Chun asked.

Yu Siyi looked at her for a long time. The smile on Jian Chun’s face turned into a nervous tension.

Yu Siyi leaned in, her stunning face full of lazy charm. “Don’t even dream about it.”

Jian Chun’s heart finally settled. Zhu Feifei let out a sigh of relief.

“I believe you,” Jian Chun said solemnly.

The Wish Wall

After a quick meal, Jian Chun went to pay. She didn’t let the shop owner put it on Yu Siyi’s tab this time.

“Look, Chun-jie!” Li Ying pointed to the “Wish Wall”—a section covered in colorful sticky notes. “Do you want to write one? We can come back and see it after graduation.”

Jian Chun looked at the wall and felt a strange sense of fate. In her “vision” of the future, this shop still existed.

“Do you guys want to write one?” Jian Chun asked the others.

Zhu Feifei scoffed, “How childish.” But when Yu Siyi glanced at her, she went quiet.

Jian Chun and Li Ying each took a note. Jian Chun wrote: ‘Get into X University. Become a teacher.’

X University was a famous teachers’ college. It was a lofty goal for someone with her current grades.

“Let me see!” Zhu Feifei tried to peek.

“Get lost!” Jian Chun blocked her.

But before Zhu Feifei could grab it, a hand snatched the note away. It was Yu Siyi. She read the wish and looked deeply at Jian Chun.

“Will you think I’m being overambitious?” Jian Chun asked nervously.

Yu Siyi shook her head. Her voice was like celestial music. “I think you can do it.”

Jian Chun happily used double-sided tape to stick her and Li Ying’s notes at the very top of the wall. Because she was on her tiptoes, her skirt pulled up slightly. Yu Siyi stepped forward, subconsciously blocking the view of others.

As Jian Chun turned around, she lost her balance. She grabbed the counter, her body tilting back. Her nose brushed past Yu Siyi’s cheek, nearly crashing into her.

“Let’s go,” Yu Siyi said, nodding.

A Sudden Awakening

By November, time was flying. After the city-wide mock exams, Jing Ge was gone. Most people didn’t notice, except for those sitting near her.

“When did Jing Ge leave?” Li Ying asked during a meal.

“She just changed classes,” Zhu Feifei said nonchalantly, looking quite proud of herself.

Jian Chun looked at Yu Siyi, and Li Ying suddenly felt a chill of realization. Was this Yu Siyi’s doing? Did she have that kind of power?

“So you’re that kind of Yu Siyi,” Jian Chun teased.

“Does that scare you?” Yu Siyi asked with a smile.

“I’m just envious. It’s good to have money and power,” Jian Chun sighed.

“Then I’ll be your sugar mommy,” Yu Siyi said jokingly.

“Really? What’s the starting price?” Jian Chun played along.

“You name it,” Yu Siyi laughed.

That Sunday night, Jian Chun went home and went to bed early after drinking a tonic prepared by her stepmother. She fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

When she woke up, she felt stiff and sore, as if she had been cramped into a small space for a long time. Her phone was ringing.

Jian Chun opened her eyes and saw a pink room filled with plush dolls. In her arms, something small moved.

A soft, milky voice murmured, “Mama… smells good.”

A chubby, sleepy child buried their face into Jian Chun’s chest. Holding the little creature, Jian Chun’s limbs went completely numb with shock.