I Just Want to Spoil and Run Away with the Abused Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 43.2

Shi Xingrao continued to prop her chin on her hand, her crow-feather-like eyelashes fluttering slightly. She paid no mind to Shen Yishu’s words and muttered with a hint of petulance, “Fine, I’ll go hungry then. If it’s not food you made, I won’t eat it.”

The two of them were locked in a stalemate the moment they met. Cat Ears: “…”

It knew its host’s temper all too well she was especially susceptible to softness but not to force. Now that Shen Yishu had said this, it had no idea how things would unfold between them.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out.” With that, Shen Yishu walked into Shi Xingrao’s room as if watching a show and sat down on the sofa.

Shen Yishu tried her best to restrain herself from looking at Shi Xingrao, but after a while, seeing that Shi Xingrao showed no intention of looking at her, she stopped holding back her gaze.

The young girl lay sprawled on the bed, playing on her phone, not even sparing her a glance.

Shen Yishu snorted inwardly. What a little liar. She claimed to miss her, yet now that she was here, she barely even looked at her. Shen Yishu even felt that she held less appeal for Shi Xingrao than the phone in her hand.

Miss her? How could Shi Xingrao possibly miss her? Teasing her was more like it.

Shen Yishu’s gaze continued to trace Shi Xingrao’s figure inch by inch, finally concluding that she seemed to have lost a bit of weight. It seemed she really hadn’t been eating properly.

Did she not like Aunt Chen’s cooking? But hadn’t Shi Xingrao always enjoyed Aunt Chen’s meals?

Could it be that she truly missed her so much that she lost her appetite?

At this thought, Shen Yishu found it somewhat absurd. Even after being deceived by Shi Xingrao once, she could still think this way.

Was Shi Xingrao really not afraid of starving herself? Did she care so little about her own health?

In less than half an hour, Shen Yishu stood up. Noticing her movement, Shi Xingrao looked at her with a curved smile. “Is Auntie going to cook for Mianmian now?”

Shen Yishu: “…”

Cat Ears: “!”

This actually worked!?

While Shen Yishu was still thinking of an excuse to explain why she had stood up, Shi Xingrao had already come over and taken her hand. “Auntie, I’ll help you with the preparations.”

Shen Yishu was momentarily stunned. Shi Xingrao’s hand was soft and slightly cool. This was the first time they had made skin-to-skin contact. Though it was just a simple handhold, Shen Yishu’s heart felt as if a small pebble had been tossed into it, sending ripples through her emotions.

Her earlier resolve instantly softened.

Shen Yishu instinctively tightened her grip on Shi Xingrao’s hand. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Seemingly aware of her own emotions, she quickly suppressed the subtle smile, returning to her usual stern and unapproachable demeanor aloof and difficult to talk to.

Watching the backend data where Shen Yishu’s happiness value had skyrocketed from zero to ninety percent, Cat Ears was dumbfounded. It didn’t know whether to say Shen Yishu was too much of a romantic fool or that Shi Xingrao was just too skilled at handling her.

Throughout the entire cooking process, Shen Yishu maintained a cold expression. Whenever Shi Xingrao tried to help with something, Shen Yishu would stop her first, saying, “Don’t make a mess. Just stand aside and watch.”

Shi Xingrao was genuinely hungry from waiting though earlier, she had been more interested in Shen Yishu than in the meal itself, wanting to observe her reactions.

But now, Shi Xingrao was truly starving. Despite Shen Yishu’s appearance of someone who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, the food she cooked was incredibly fragrant.

Aunt Chen watched the finally reconciled aunt and niece from outside the kitchen, her eyes filled with relief. She had always believed that, after all, the young lady had raised this child herself, how could she be so heartless toward Shi Xingrao?

Emotional bonds are simply impossible to sever.

When Shen Yishu looked up and saw Aunt Chen’s relieved expression, she was speechless.

Shen Yishu lifted her eyelids slightly and said, “Aunt Chen, pack your things and return to the Shen family. Xiao Mao doesn’t need your care here anymore.”

Shi Xingrao: “?”

Resting her chin in her hands, Shi Xingrao watched Shen Yishu’s back. Her figure was slender and delicate, strikingly beautiful, even her silhouette was enough to captivate one’s thoughts. Shi Xingrao couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had asked for Shen Yishu’s contact information on the plane.

Turning around and seeing Aunt Chen heading off to pack, Shi Xingrao narrowed her eyes. Clearly, someone wasn’t as aloof as she appeared. Let her guess, that someone was probably having some rather wild thoughts right now.

If her thoughts weren’t wild, why send Aunt Chen away now?

She suspected that Shen Yishu’s dark side was running a bit high. Then again, acting without saying much seemed more in line with Shen Yishu’s character.

At this moment, nothing probably reassured Shen Yishu more than possession. It seemed Shen Yishu no longer wanted to remain passive.

How did this woman manage to suit her tastes so perfectly?

Had she done a background check on her? Shi Xingrao felt an urge to tease Shen Yishu to make her angry, yet not quite able to get truly mad.

Shi Xingrao watched Shen Yishu intently until the aroma of braised ribs wafted over, distracting her thoughts. Taking advantage of Shen Yishu’s focus on chopping vegetables, Shi Xingrao pretended to inspect the pot of ribs and was about to lift the lid for a taste.

But just then, the woman embraced her from behind. Shen Yishu’s hand caught hers as she reached for the lid, lifting it gently. Shen Yishu carried a faint, pleasant scent, and her embrace was dry and warm. Yet, Shi Xingrao had no time to dwell on such details.

Shi Xingrao: “…”

Caught red-handed trying to sneak a bite.

Shen Yishu let out a soft laugh, one that sounded both helpless and indulgent. “Why are you so greedy? The moment I take my eyes off you, you start making trouble.”

“This is a pressure cooker. You have to release the steam before opening it. Do you want to get burned?”

Shen Yishu’s voice carried a natural chill, but that light laugh was particularly tantalizing. The guilt of being caught sneaking food faded somewhat under the sound. Shi Xingrao felt her hunger only growing stronger. Restraining herself, she licked her upper lip and turned around in Shen Yishu’s embrace.

Looking up at Shen Yishu’s exquisitely cold and beautiful face, Shi Xingrao noticed she had casually tied up her hair for cooking, with a few stray strands falling loosely. Her already striking features now carried a disheveled kind of beauty not prim and proper, but captivatingly untidy.

Shi Xingrao couldn’t help but wonder what Shen Yishu would look like in an even more disheveled state.

Would those emotionless eyes ever mist over? Would they call her Xiao Rao over and over again?

Shi Xingrao paid no attention to Shen Yishu’s expression, simply turning around to hug her. “But Auntie, you’re so slow.”

The moment Shi Xingrao embraced her, Shen Yishu’s back stiffened slightly, and her gaze darkened. Shi Xingrao was being unusually affectionate toward her today, to the point where it almost felt like Shi Xingrao had feelings for her an illusion Shen Yishu couldn’t fully trust, given past experiences.

Still, she couldn’t help but think that Shi Xingrao’s willingness to get close to her was a good thing. After all, Shi Xingrao had once forced her to confess her feelings, only to reject her afterward. Now, even if Shi Xingrao had called her over without saying anything about rejection, Shen Yishu would have accepted it. And now, with Shi Xingrao still willing to be intimate, Shen Yishu felt almost overwhelmed by the favor.

Her tone softened involuntarily. “Just wait a little longer. It’ll be ready soon.”

Shi Xingrao tilted her head slightly, looking at Shen Yishu with a hint of displeasure. Why wasn’t Shen Yishu hugging her back? She had taken the initiative to hug Shen Yishu, yet all Shen Yishu seemed to care about was cooking.

“But I’m hungry.”

Shen Yishu didn’t refuse. She tried to avert her gaze, but her eyes inevitably lingered on Shi Xingrao’s face. At that moment, she didn’t really want to continue cooking she wanted Shi Xingrao to keep holding her. But she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Shi Xingrao’s request.

It wasn’t the right time yet. She hadn’t even managed to fill Shi Xingrao’s stomach.

Besides, she couldn’t rush things. Shi Xingrao was cunning, if she let her guard down even for a moment, Shi Xingrao would slip away. She had to take it slow, ease into things, and make Shi Xingrao the one who grew impatient first.

“Alright, but you’ll have to let go of me first. I can’t cook while you’re holding me.”

Shi Xingrao: “…”

Is she made of wood? Why is she only thinking about cooking?

If Shen Yishu loves cooking so much, she might as well cook for the rest of her life.

Listening to Shi Xingrao’s inner thoughts, Cat Ears chimed in: “Host, you’re the one who asked Shen Yishu to cook. You’re also the one complaining that she’s too slow. Now that she’s focusing on cooking without distractions, why are you still upset?”

Shi Xingrao felt utterly exasperated. Seriously, are Cat Ears and Shen Yishu’s brains somehow synced?

Was her “hunger” really about food?

At the dining table,

Shen Yishu ladled a bowl of rib soup and placed it in front of Shi Xingrao. “Drink some soup first.”

Even now, Shen Yishu believed Shi Xingrao was just being difficult skipping meals just to spite her.

Shen Yishu’s cooking was delicious, but Shi Xingrao ate absentmindedly. As soon as the meal was over, she slipped back into her room.

Shen Yishu couldn’t help but laugh in frustration at Shi Xingrao’s behavior. Eat and run typical Shi Xingrao. Weren’t you in such a hurry earlier? Now that you’ve eaten, you’re hiding again?

What game was Shi Xingrao playing this time? Calling her all the way over just to cook?

While she was cooking, Shi Xingrao had occasionally thrown her a bone, a small gesture of affection. Now that the meal was over, Shi Xingrao had seen her getting worked up over her again and seemed satisfied, ready to kick her to the curb once more.

Would Shi Xingrao call her over again next time she was bored, just to toy with her?

The more Shen Yishu thought about it, the angrier she became. What Shi Xingrao failed to realize was that Shen Yishu wasn’t someone to be manipulated so easily. This time, Shi Xingrao had been the one to provoke her first she had no one to blame but herself.

When Shen Yishu went upstairs, Shi Xingrao was sitting at the table, doing something unknown.

As she entered, Shi Xingrao gave her no reaction not even a glance, nor did she pause her movements in the slightest. This aloof person seemed entirely different from the one who had actively embraced her earlier.

“Did you call me here just to have a meal?” Shen Yishu’s tone turned cold again.

The curtains billowed in the wind. Shi Xingrao held a fountain pen, ink bleeding slightly onto the paper as she calmly wrote the characters for “Shen Yishu.”

With the final dot placed above the character for “book,” Shi Xingrao lowered her gaze and murmured, “No, I’m not that bored.”

Shen Yishu watched the words Shi Xingrao wrote. At first, she felt a chill upon seeing the character “Shen,” but when her eyes fell upon “Yishu,” she couldn’t help but fix her gaze on the paper bearing only her name.

“Auntie, I really missed you, but it seems you don’t believe me.” As she spoke, Shi Xingrao folded the paper with Shen Yishu’s name into a paper airplane. Once finished, she stood up to go outside and fly it, but Shen Yishu grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Shen Yishu pressed her down onto the desk, countless suppressed questions finally bursting forth. Her cool, detached eyes focused solely on Shi Xingrao. “You said before that I misunderstood you, that I overthought things. If you don’t like me, I can accept that. I can let you go.”

“You told me to say I like you, to go back and start over, I can understand that too.”

“But yesterday you said you missed me, sending me a message at three in the morning saying you couldn’t sleep because you were thinking of me. Today, you held my hand and hugged me first. Is that also what you call not liking me?”

“Shi Xingrao.” Shen Yishu gripped her chin. “Or are you just toying with me? Do you find it amusing to tease me?”

Shi Xingrao blinked slowly, her porcelain-like skin marked with faint red traces from Shen Yishu’s grip. The contrast between the pale skin and the red marks was strikingly vivid, evoking an urge to protect her.

The young girl seemed aggrieved, whispering softly, “Auntie, it hurts.”

Downstairs, Shen Yishu had resolved not to soften today, no matter what Shi Xingrao said. But now, faced with her pitiful expression, Shen Yishu’s grip loosened almost instantly.

On the surface, it seemed Shen Yishu was interrogating Shi Xingrao with a firm hold, but in reality, she wasn’t using any real force. If Shi Xingrao wanted to resist, she could have done so easily. Escaping would have been no challenge for her.

Cat Ears: “…”

Right. Just another couple’s flirtatious game. Who are they putting on a show for? There’s no one else here just me, Cat Ears. Once again, I’ve become part of someone else’s play.

Sometimes, I genuinely laugh at my own solitude.

“Shen Yishu, say you like me. Say you love me.” Shi Xingrao stared straight at her, her voice soft yet enough to unsettle Shen Yishu’s heart once more.

Shen Yishu felt an impulse to comply, to confess her love as Shi Xingrao demanded.

But the memory of her recent failed confession flashed through her mind. Her eyes darkened. Was Shi Xingrao trying to humiliate her again? To make her profess her love, only to trample it underfoot without a second thought?

Shen Yishu leaned in, her cold, stunning face now less than an inch away from Shi Xingrao’s. A cold laugh escaped her lips. “Say I like you? Shi Xingrao, what makes you think that after you rejected me once, I’d ever say it again?”