My Little Pink Crocodile - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Please Keep Her Under Control

After Qi Yan’s pet hospital was trashed, she calculated the total damages and contacted a lawyer. She took the time to personally deliver the list of losses to the thugs being held at the police station.

Hearing that the thugs were still acting arrogant in custody, Qi Yan decided to go all the way. She filed a formal lawsuit against them—and included her trouble-making father in the suit as well.

Father Qi had just finished dealing with the police and the thugs, agreeing to pay hush money to keep the scandal from spreading further. He never expected Qi Yan to be so ruthless. Upon returning home, he flew into a towering rage, shouting that he no longer recognized her as his daughter.

Mother Qi, hoping to mend the relationship and convince Qi Yan to withdraw the lawsuit against her father, called Qi Yan.

Qi Yan was carrying a bag of dog food she had just bought when she felt her phone vibrate. Seeing the caller ID, her expression flickered slightly, but she quickly returned to normal. She gave a gentle smile to Jiang Yu, who was standing beside her.

“Wait for me in the car first.”

Jiang Yu could tell she was busy. Over the past few days, seeing Qi Yan run ragged over the pet hospital issues had made her heart ache. Not wanting to disturb her, she nodded.

Seeing the slight furrow in Qi Yan’s brow, Jiang Yu took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss on her cheek while she wasn’t looking. She snatched the items from Qi Yan’s hands, hopped into the car, and leaned out the window. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she smiled.

“Hurry up.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and made a finger-heart—something she had picked up from somewhere.

Qi Yan had just connected the call. Seeing Jiang Yu’s gesture, the gloom in her heart vanished. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Okay.”

On the other end of the line, Mother Qi froze when she heard Qi Yan’s laughter and that doting “Okay.” She asked in confusion, “Yan Yan, what are you saying?”

Mother Qi remembered she hadn’t even made her request yet; why had Qi Yan agreed so quickly?

The tenderness in Qi Yan’s eyes faded, replaced by a cold tone. “Is there a reason you’re calling? Or do you want me to go on another blind date?”

They knew that after hiring people to trash her shop to pressure her, any explanation would ring hollow. To deal with the lawsuit, they had to soften their tone.

“Yan Yan, you know it wasn’t easy for us to raise you. You and your father have your differences, but you are his flesh and blood. Doing this… it will break his heart.”

Qi Yan listened quietly, but her eyes remained like a still pond without a single ripple. At the end, she couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. To this day, the only thing they could use to restrain her was “family sentiment.”

Mother Qi, interrupted by the laugh, thought Qi Yan was in a good mood and prepared to press further. Then she heard Qi Yan speak.

“Mother, when you did those things, did you ever think about whether I would be unhappy? Did you ever think that I might actually get hurt?”

The sudden question left Mother Qi stunned. They did know. In fact, when they bribed those unreasonable thugs, there was no guarantee of safety. If Qi Yan had been in the shop at the time, she really could have been injured.

Mother Qi was momentarily speechless. Her hand tightened around the phone as she made one last attempt. “But at the end of the day, you are father and daughter…”

Qi Yan cut her off ruthlessly. “I am grateful to you for giving me life and raising me, but that is not a reason for you to force me into things I dislike. My father wanted to teach me a lesson and make me retreat; he didn’t care about the consequences then. I’m sure my brother tried to talk you out of it, but you insisted on your own way.”

Mother Qi fell silent, unable to find words. Qi Yan’s next sentence made her heart turn cold.

“In this society ruled by law, as your daughter, I have an obligation to let you know that what you did is a crime.”

Mother Qi stared at the disconnected call, slumping onto the sofa as if the life had been drained out of her, her face haggard. Since when had Qi Yan stopped being “obedient”? No, it wasn’t that she was disobedient; it was that their desire to control her life had reached an incurable stage, forcing her to flee even after she had already left the house.

Qi Yan hung up and turned to look at the person waiting in the car.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed her in light, making her white dress look as if it were plated in the colors of the dusk. Yet this beauty paled in comparison to the smile Jiang Yu gave her—clean and pure, like someone untainted by the world. Seeing her was like being bathed in morning dew, carrying the scent of a fresh sunrise.

Jiang Yu reached out a hand and smiled. “Don’t work anymore. It’s late. We’re going home.”

The words were mundane, but the word “home” made Qi Yan’s heart beat a little faster. It was a sensation she didn’t dislike.

Looking at the extended hand, Qi Yan smiled and placed her phone in Jiang Yu’s palm. She spoke with a hint of helpless doting, “Okay. Let’s go home.”

After they returned home, Jiang Yao invited Qi Yan to work for her once again. This time, Qi Yan was unexpectedly straightforward in her acceptance—perhaps because of Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yao’s pet hospital wasn’t fully renovated yet, so Qi Yan had plenty of time for a vacation. Furthermore, Jiang Yao agreed to let Qi Yan bring her original staff along with double the salary. Because Jiang Yao was the power behind the business, Qi Yan didn’t have to worry about anyone daring to cause trouble again. There was no reason left to refuse.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu, who had just gotten her new phone, overheard Qi Yan mention the arrangement. She immediately began “bombarding” Jiang Yao with messages, claiming she had extra conditions.

The first was that Qi Yan should work one month and then rest for one month—essentially working one month on, one month off—under the pretext that she was worried Qi Yan would get tired. As for what that “off” month was for? To accompany her on trips, of course.

She found typing to be too much effort, so she sent a voice message instead, sounding very righteous. “I think starting work in the morning is too exhausting. You should change the shift to noon.” As she spoke, she felt her logic was sound and nodded to herself in approval.

While Jiang Yu was clutching her phone and dreaming of her future happy life, Jiang Yao—who had been silent for a long time—finally called. The sudden ringtone startled Jiang Yu, and she instinctively swiped it away to reject it.

Once the world was quiet again, she went back to her daydreaming. Wearing oversized pajamas, she rolled around on the bed like a maggot inside the covers, which carried a familiar, fresh fragrance. She noticed the Golden Retriever peering at her through the half-open door.

In a great mood, Jiang Yu poked a hand out of the covers and beckoned it. “Goudan, come here.”

Hearing her call, the Golden Retriever trotted over eagerly. Jiang Yu squished its face and told the dog, “I just fought for six months of vacation for my Qi Yan.”

There were only twelve months in a year; working one month on and one off meant exactly six months of rest. “Of course, it would be best if she didn’t work at all, but then she wouldn’t have money to keep me.” She muttered to herself, eventually frowning as she realized she was quite expensive to maintain.

The dog barked in agreement, which suddenly reminded Jiang Yu of something. She dug through her bag for the check Jiang Yao had given her, found a pen, and prepared to write on it. “How much should I put? How much would it take so Qi Yan doesn’t have to work so hard to support me?”

But before she could finish writing, she saw the Golden Retriever trying to jump onto the bed. She dropped the pen and spoke to it sternly. “No! This is my spot, do you hear me?!”

Seeing Jiang Yu refuse, the dog’s happily wagging tail went limp.

Just then, Qi Yan walked out from the shower, towel-drying her semi-dry hair. She saw Jiang Yu on the bed. Because of the girl’s large movements, her pajamas had slipped off her shoulder, revealing fair, delicate skin. Meeting those eyes that sparkled like gems, Qi Yan felt her heart skip a beat.

The feeling lasted only a second, making Qi Yan think it was an illusion. She didn’t have time to overthink why she felt that way.

Seeing Qi Yan staring at her, Jiang Yu cupped her own face and winked. She spoke in an overly sweet, somewhat affected voice: “Why is the pretty sister staring at me? Is it because you can’t help falling in love with me?”

Because of her posing, the already precarious pajama top slipped further down toward her elbow. She wasn’t consciously trying to be seductive, yet Qi Yan felt that ignored sensation return—her heart was thumping wildly in her chest.

When no answer came, and Qi Yan only continued to stare deeply at her without moving, Jiang Yu felt a surge of defeat and began muttering under her breath. Her moods came and went quickly; she soon kicked the covers aside, preparing to hop off the bed to find Qi Yan.

Qi Yan suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and stepped forward, speaking as gently as possible. “Fix your clothes. And…” She paused, then added, “Don’t copy everything you see.”

Jiang Yu’s behavior just now must have been something she picked up from the TV.

Jiang Yu ignored the second half of the sentence and looked down at the pajamas that clearly didn’t belong to her. “My clothes are on.”

Qi Yan had bought a pile of clothes for Jiang Yu yesterday, including several sets of pajamas, which almost filled the wardrobe. But when Jiang Yu changed, whether intentionally or not, she had picked Qi Yan’s pajamas. Qi Yan wasn’t the type to fuss over a piece of clothing, so she hadn’t said anything.

Seeing that Jiang Yu didn’t think there was anything wrong with her attire and had no intention of fixing it—merely staring up at her with big eyes—Qi Yan’s heart softened. She sighed. “Fix your clothes yourself next time. What if someone else sees you…”

Before she could finish, the hand she was using to help adjust the girl’s clothes was caught by Jiang Yu. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against the girl’s skin.

“You would be unhappy, right?” Jiang Yu asked. Her eyes were bright under the light, reflecting Qi Yan’s silhouette.

Qi Yan was dazed for a moment, then figured the girl’s words were technically correct. She nodded. “Yes.”

Jiang Yu’s mood brightened instantly. “Then you’re jealous.”

If she was unhappy because of it, what else could it be but jealousy? At this thought, the smile in Jiang Yu’s eyes deepened, as if they only reflected the person in front of her. Qi Yan wanted to argue, but seeing how brilliantly the girl was smiling, she didn’t bother to explain.

As she pulled out the hairdryer, she remembered something. She turned to the barefoot Jiang Yu and asked, “Who called just now?”

She thought her phone had rung, but before she could get out of the shower, Jiang Yu had presumably hung up. Jiang Yu looked puzzled and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She really didn’t know; she hadn’t even looked at the contact name. “It was definitely an unimportant scam call,” Jiang Yu added confidently.

Qi Yan frowned slightly but didn’t blame her. She smiled and offered a bit of praise. “You shouldn’t answer those, you know.”

When she bought the phone for Jiang Yu, she had instructed her not to answer strange numbers unless they were in her contacts. She was relieved to know that even though Jiang Yu was usually playing on her phone, she had actually listened.

Jiang Yao: …I’ve become a scammer.

Jiang Yu walked over to Qi Yan and hugged her arm affectionately. “I know. Are you going to dry your hair? Can I help?” She reached for the hairdryer, but Qi Yan patted her head.

“Wait a second, let me check my phone.” Although she was teaching Jiang Yu not to answer scams, she needed to be sure the call Jiang Yu hung up on wasn’t actually something important.

She put down the hairdryer and went to pick up her phone. Perhaps thinking Jiang Yu’s line was busy, Jiang Yao called Qi Yan’s phone instead.

The moment the call connected, Jiang Yao’s habitually cold voice came through, this time carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

“Boss Qi, please keep my ‘cousin’ under control.”