I'm a Professional at Being a Scumbag [Quick Wear] - Chapter 19

After filming for three months, Chu Qiao returned to school.

Though the girl insisted she didn’t need a ride, Le Yi took half a day off and drove her to campus.

When the grades came out, Le Yi urged her to apply to the country’s top universities, but Chu Qiao stubbornly chose Xining University instead.

While Xining University was also a “double first-class” institution, it couldn’t compare to the prestige of the top two.

When asked why, the girl simply clung to her arm, saying she couldn’t bear to be apart from her.

This left Le Yi feeling guilty.

Normally, she wouldn’t have been allowed time off, but with a scene needing reshoots and her excellent performance, Director Xu Jianchuan made a special exception.

To the public, it was announced that she was visiting the hospital due to illness, while everyone else carried on as usual.

******

Xining University, renowned for its sprawling campus and picturesque seaside location, boasted its own beachfront.

After registering, they wandered around. The setting sun gilded the beach, casting a golden shimmer on the waves.

Le Yi’s playful spirit surged. She kicked off her shoes and ran to embrace the sand and sea.

Chu Qiao chased after her with her hat. When Le Yi turned around, she pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips.

The large hat obscured their faces, and no one noticed anything amiss. Yet Le Yi felt a nervous excitement, as if she were secretly stealing affection.

It was thrilling and exhilarating.

With the sun at her back, Chu Qiao’s expression was hard to see. But Le Yi felt her gaze burning with intensity, as if trying to consume her whole.

“Sister, I love you.”

Le Yi was caught off guard, her breath catching in her throat. The excitement suddenly turned to calm, and she considered whether to dump her right then and there.

But seeing the genuine sincerity in Chu Qiao’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to be cruel.

“Qiaoqiao…”

“I was just joking! You fell for it, Sister!”

Chu Qiao averted her gaze, plopping the hat onto Le Yi’s head before taking a few steps forward.

The silence said it all. Sister still didn’t like her.

Chu Qiao didn’t know what had possessed her to blurt out her feelings. Perhaps it was the perfect weather, or the gentle smile on Sister’s face that made her imagine, just for a moment, that Sister might actually return her feelings.

With a self-mocking smile, Chu Qiao forced a cheerful tone. “Sister, hurry up and get out of the water. Your dress is soaked.”

Le Yi could hear the disappointment in Chu Qiao’s voice, and her own heart sank.

After all, she had raised this child. Naturally, Le Yi wanted Chu Qiao to be happy. But the moment Chu Qiao fell for her, her happiness became unattainable.

It was an insoluble problem.

All Le Yi could do now was hope that Chu Qiao would grow up quickly. Once she became an absolute female lead, no longer bound by external constraints, Le Yi could finally step back and complete her mission.

Overall, this task hadn’t been particularly difficult. The only thing that weighed on her was the constant need to act like a heartless woman.

Her greed for money in the past was her “blessing.”

Seeing that Le Yi was still lost in thought, Chu Qiao called out to her again. Le Yi snapped out of her daze and followed.

That evening, Chu Qiao didn’t return with Le Yi. She stayed in the dormitory.

Earlier that day, Chu Qiao had said she wanted to go home together. But now that Le Yi was leaving for another out-of-town filming gig, with no telling how long she’d be gone, Chu Qiao had been longing for some closeness after their long separation.

Alone at home, Le Yi suddenly felt the house was empty.

When Chu Qiao was in high school, she had also lived on campus, only coming home on weekends. Back then, Le Yi hadn’t felt anything. But now, standing in the entrance hall and looking into the living room, she felt an inexplicable need for someone to talk to.

Le Yi was too lazy to cook and ordered takeout, but lost her appetite after a few bites.

Ever since rumors started circulating, the number of people offering her scripts had multiplied. Among them were directors known for leaking plot details, but Le Yi didn’t rush to accept. Instead, she carefully read each script before considering it.

For now, she wasn’t desperate for money. Since her first comeback project was with Director Xu Jianchuan, she couldn’t afford to take just any role in films or TV afterward. Otherwise, not only would she face ridicule, but Director Xu Jianchuan would also suffer the blame for poor casting.

Le Yi sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa and reading the script. She drifted off while absorbed in the pages.

After an unknown amount of time, she faintly heard the door. Opening one eye, she saw Chu Qiao standing before her.

“Qiaoqiao, why are you back?”

The clock chimed. It was already 11 PM.

Chu Qiao didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned down and hugged Le Yi tightly, burying her face in the crook of her neck, her breaths shallow.

Only then did Le Yi notice that Chu Qiao’s clothes were soaked. No wonder she felt uncomfortable, the wet fabric clung to her skin, and water dripped from her hair.

She looked a little disheveled.

Chu Qiao said nothing, simply holding Le Yi. Le Yi assumed the rain must have started falling on her way home, drenching her.

An indescribable emotion stirred within her, something deeper than mere parental concern for her child.

“Qiaoqiao, let’s get you changed first, okay? You’ll catch a cold like this.”

Chu Qiao looked up from her shoulder, puppy-like. “Sister, give me a kiss. Just one kiss and I’ll do as you say.”

Le Yi kissed her lips. Expecting her to keep pestering, she was surprised when Chu Qiao obediently went to take a bath.

She even tidied up the leftover takeout.

Le Yi stood up, rubbing her sore arms and neck, and prepared to shower herself.

Having been hugged by Chu Qiao for a while, she felt damp and uncomfortable.

After a moment in the bathroom, Chu Qiao called out, “Sister, could you bring me a towel?”

Le Yi wondered why Chu Qiao didn’t just take one from the master bedroom’s bathroom. Though puzzled, she grabbed a fresh towel and brought it over.

As Chu Qiao reached for the towel, she pulled Le Yi inside.

The steamy, hot water left Le Yi half-soaked, her vision blurred by the mist, making it hard to see Chu Qiao’s face clearly.

Chu Qiao hung the towel on the door, wrapped her arms around Le Yi, and kissed her. Their lips, warmed by the water, felt soft and tender. Surprisingly, Le Yi found it comforting.

The kiss was entirely controlled by Chu Qiao, and Le Yi willingly let her take the lead, surrendering her breath to her.

Only when their breathing had completely synchronized did Chu Qiao release her. By then, both of them were flushed crimson, their eyes unfocused.

Feeling flustered, Le Yi moved away from the hot water, convinced that the temperature was to blame for her disorientation.

Chu Qiao didn’t press further, focusing instead on washing both herself and Le Yi. Le Yi, like a child being bathed, raised her arms and turned her head at Chu Qiao’s instructions.

After the bath, Chu Qiao wrapped a large towel around Le Yi and grabbed another towel for herself from the shelf.

Le Yi raised an eyebrow at her, her unspoken question clear. Chu Qiao didn’t explain, simply asking, “Shall I carry Sister to bed?”

Le Yi naturally refused, darting out of the room barefoot.

By the time Chu Qiao emerged, Le Yi was already on the bed. Chu Qiao approached, tossed aside her towel, and climbed onto the bed from the foot.

Le Yi, half-reclining, looked down at the large cat in her arms and asked, “Weren’t you supposed to stay at school? Why did you run back in the middle of the night?”

Chu Qiao nuzzled her chest softly and mumbled, “I missed you, Sister.”

After her failed confession, feeling awkward, she hadn’t returned with her sister.

But staying in the dormitory, her mind consumed by thoughts of her sister, was unbearable.

So, disregarding the foul weather, she ran back in the dead of night.

Le Yi stroked her hair, smoothing it down. “Don’t be so stubborn next time.”

Chu Qiao felt a pang in her heart. She opened her mouth and bit down on the collarbone before her.

It’s not stubbornness. I just can’t accept that you don’t love me.

Le Yi winced from the bite. She smacked Chu Qiao’s bottom like she used to when they were younger, but Chu Qiao released the collarbone and bit down somewhere else instead.

Le Yi thought, After three months apart, the kitten’s gotten mischievous. It’s time for some discipline.

She wrapped an arm around Chu Qiao’s waist and gripped her chin with the other hand, forcing her to meet her gaze.

“How impudent! Is this how I taught you to behave?”

Chu Qiao felt utterly wronged, her eyes quickly welling with tears. Le Yi felt her heart clench at the sight of those tears, as if burned by their heat.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong. Don’t cry.”

Chu Qiao knew well that Le Yi couldn’t stand her tears. It was her foolproof weapon, tried and true.

Though her eyes brimmed with tears, she held them back, gazing at Le Yi with wide, innocent, and pitiful eyes.

“Sister…” she murmured, her lips brushing against Le Yi’s neck.

Le Yi’s heart had already been stirred by Chu Qiao’s doe-like eyes, and she could barely withstand this kind of teasing. As Chu Qiao’s lips pressed against her, Le Yi’s hand settled on her slender waist.

Chu Qiao whimpered, tears welling at the corners of her eyes and falling onto the hollow of Le Yi’s collarbone. In the lamplight, her skin glistened like crystal.

It’s wonderful to still be so close to Sister, Chu Qiao thought, nearly despairing. As long as Sister still likes me, I still have a chance.

Sensing her distraction, Le Yi grew displeased and pinched Chu Qiao’s waist, snapping her back to attention. She leaned close to Chu Qiao’s ear and whispered, “I’m leaving for the Northwest tomorrow to film, so…”

More tears welled in the corners of Chu Qiao’s eyes. She turned and captured Le Yi’s lips in a kiss, answering silently.

Outside, a fierce gale swept across the sky, driving raindrops to batter against the windows with a deafening rhythm. Yet inside, the room was bathed in a warm, amber light that cast everything in an alluring, hazy glow.

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