My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 34

When Bai Qingyu recognized the people in the car, her breath hitched for a moment.

It was Song Yuelan and Song’s mother.

She didn’t speak, instead turning her gaze to Song Yuehua beside her, studying her profile.

Song Yuehua felt something trembling deep within her soul, a mix of anger and resistance.

Bai Qingyu’s heart tightened as if bound by an invisible rope. Her hand, hanging at her side, twitched slightly. She tentatively brushed against Song Yuehua’s cool fingertips, and when the other didn’t pull away, she slowly reached over and firmly grasped her hand.

The warmth from Bai Qingyu’s hand gradually pulled Song Yuehua out of her turbulent emotions. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to meet the gaze of the people in the car. The panic in her expression had vanished, replaced by a faint sense of detachment.

“Oh? Isn’t this Bai?” Song’s mother spoke first, her eyes sweeping over Bai Qingyu’s face. A smile curled at the corners of her lips, but her words carried a hidden sting. “Such a striking beauty, almost too eye-catching. One might even say ‘a face that could launch a thousand ships.’”

As soon as she finished speaking, she was met with disapproving looks from both Song sisters.

Uncomfortable under their gazes, Song’s mother gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject, shifting her attention back to Song Yuehua. Her tone softened deliberately, as if coaxing a child. “Yuehua, I know you’ve wanted me to spend time with you. I’ve just been so busy. But now I have time. How about I take you to the luxury boutiques later? And the spa, I recently got a membership. Let’s go for a treatment. Look at this mall, it’s so shabby. None of the clothes here are decent, and even the air smells cheap. It’s hardly fitting for a young lady of the Song family.”

As she spoke, she deliberately wrinkled her nose, her disdain unmistakable.

Song Yuehua took a deep breath. “No, thank you. I think this place is just fine, and I don’t need any of those things.”

The smile on Song’s mother’s face froze instantly, as if she hadn’t expected such a blunt refusal. The corners of her mouth drooped, but she forced herself to maintain a gentle demeanor, her voice softening even further, tinged with a hint of grievance.

“Yuehua, I know you’re still upset with me for being too busy and neglecting you before. That was my fault. But now I have time, and I want to make it up to you, just like when you were little. Do you remember? You used to love clinging to me, and you’d laugh every time I held you. You were so adorable.”

She wore a tender expression, as if lost in nostalgic memories.

But Song Yuehua felt nothing, not even a ripple of emotion. If anything, she was slightly bewildered.

In her memory, from the time she could remember, the only person who had been by her side and treated her kindly was the director of the orphanage. As for Song’s mother’s claims of “clinging to her as a child” or “laughing when held,” she had no recollection whatsoever.

Moreover, the book had never mentioned such childhood moments for Song Yuehua.

Song Yuehua remained silent, simply watching her calmly. Song’s mother continued talking for a while, but seeing that her words had no effect, she could no longer maintain her gentle facade.

“Qingyu.” Song Yuelan nudged her mother, making her lean back in her seat to create a bit of space between the passenger and driver’s seats. Her eyes fixed intently on Bai Qingyu outside the car.

“I heard you’re planning to start a company?” She rested her arm on the center console, her tone casual, but the ill intent in her eyes was unmistakable.

Is she up to no good?

Alarm bells instantly went off in Song Yuehua’s mind.

“Yes,” Bai Qingyu replied, a faint smile still on her face, showing no trace of panic, as if the other’s provocation was not even worth mentioning.

Song Yuelan scoffed, tilting her head slightly to one side, her tone full of arrogance. “Starting a company is easy, isn’t it? Rent an office, hire a couple of people, and you’re in business. But if you want to keep it running, it’s just a pipe dream without resources or connections.”

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Song Yuehua, her gaze filled with undisguised contempt. “Do you think she can give you those things?”

Song Yuehua glared at her with wide eyes.

But Song Yuelan acted as if she hadn’t heard her, her gaze still fixed on Bai Qingyu, a smile that screamed “victory is mine” playing on her lips. “You blocked me, but I don’t blame you. After all, I’ve always liked you. I’ll give you one last chance. Choose her, or choose me?”

She paused, deliberately raising her voice, her tone full of temptation. “I can introduce you to major clients and help you poach top-tier technical talent. These are things Song Yuehua could never give you in her entire life. You’d better think carefully. Don’t ruin your future for someone who isn’t worth it.”

Song Yuelan never missed an opportunity to belittle Song Yuehua.

Bai Qingyu didn’t speak. She just turned her head to look at Song Yuehua beside her. The hand hanging by her side quietly tightened its grip, holding Song Yuehua’s hand even more firmly.

Seeing their tacit understanding, Song Yuelan’s eye twitched violently. A blaze of anger flared up inside her, and her expression instantly darkened. “Fine, just fine!”

She gritted her teeth, her tone dripping with threat. “You’d better not regret this! This is the last chance I’m giving you. I won’t go easy on you again. If something happens to that pathetic company of yours, don’t come crying to me!”

Song Yuehua’s heart burned with indignation.

She knew Song Yuelan wouldn’t let this go.

“Thank you for your ‘concern,’ CEO Song, but you needn’t trouble yourself with our company’s affairs,” Bai Qingyu’s tone remained calm.

Song Yuelan’s hand, which had been hanging loosely, suddenly clenched into a fist.

In her entire life, she had never met someone so ungrateful, someone who wouldn’t yield to either carrot or stick!

She shot another vicious glare at Song Yuehua, her voice as cold as ice. “Since you love being with her so much, then you don’t have to come back to the Song family ever again. Not just for these few months, but forever! From now on, the Song family doesn’t have a daughter named you!”

“Yuehua, don’t be foolish! Come home with Mommy. Don’t stay in this poor, shabby place and suffer. Mommy will find you a big house with a garden and hire two maids for you. Won’t that be better than your current life?” Mother Song chimed in, singing the same tune as Song Yuelan.

“No, thank you.” Song Yuehua refused crisply. “This place is great, and I have no intention of returning to the Song family. I’ll live my own life.”

Song Yuelan was about to say more when a piercing honk erupted from behind them.

The sound was sharp and long, mixed with the impatient shouts of a driver. “Can the car in front move? You’ve been blocking the road for ages!”

It was obvious their car had been stopped at the intersection for too long, blocking the traffic behind them.

Song Yuelan’s face darkened further. She grabbed a business card and flung it fiercely in Bai Qingyu’s direction. “You think about it carefully! Don’t come crying when it’s too late!” With that, she wrenched the steering wheel, and the car shot forward.

Bai Qingyu bent down and picked it up.

Song Yuehua said, “There’s a trash can over there.”

Hearing this, Bai Qingyu looked up at her, her eyes curving into a smile, her tone teasing. “How do you know I wasn’t planning to keep it?”

Song Yuehua grinned. “Because I know you.”

As she spoke, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and peered across the street, her eyes lighting up. “Hey! It’s here, it’s here! The taxi we called is over there!” She tugged on Bai Qingyu’s sleeve and hurried across the street.

“Slow down, don’t rush,” Bai Qingyu said with a smile, following her and discreetly stuffing the business card into a trash can by the roadside.

Back at the apartment complex, they first went to Song Yuehua’s place to drop things off.

One of them put the food in the refrigerator while the other put the rest of the items in the storage cabinet.

“Qingyu.” Song Yuehua suddenly poked her head out of the kitchen.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Bai Qingyu turned to see her standing at the doorway, nervously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“Can I… can I not call you Qingyu?” Song Yuehua pouted. “Song Yuelan calls you that too, and I want to be different… Can I call you ‘Qingqing’?”

Bai Qingyu paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes so gentle they could have been dripping water. “Of course, you can.”

“Yay!” Song Yuehua bounced over to her side. She first leaned in and whispered “Qingqing” into her left ear, then circled around to her right ear and called it out again. Her voice, tentative at first, slowly grew cheerful.

It seemed she had wanted to call her that for a long time.

“Stop shaking, you’re making my ears hot,” Bai Qingyu said with a laugh, reaching out to gently press the top of her head, steadying her bobbing head. “From now on, you can call me whatever you want. You’ll have plenty of time to say it.”

“Hehe.” Song Yuehua giggled foolishly and hugged her arm. Then, as if remembering something, her expression suddenly turned serious, her brow furrowing slightly. “Right, Qingqing, what Song Yuelan said just now… do you think she’ll really try to sabotage the company? I’m afraid she’ll use some dirty tricks…”

“Yuehua,” Bai Qingyu said, “Song Yuelan isn’t all-powerful. The business world is about mutual benefit. As long as our software has enough value, partners will naturally come to us. She can’t stop them.”

Besides, she hadn’t even started to cause trouble for Song Yuelan yet.

Seeing her confident expression, Song Yuehua’s worries slowly dissipated.

After spending this time together, she had long since realized that Bai Qingyu was not the “indiscriminately soft and kind” person described in the novel. She had her own ideas and the ability to solve problems.

With that thought, she felt much more at ease.

After putting everything away, the two went to Bai Qingyu’s apartment. The door had barely been knocked on twice before Mother Bai opened it with a smile. The moment she saw Song Yuehua, she grabbed her hand, her enthusiasm overflowing. “Yuehua’s here! Come in, come in! Auntie stewed some pork ribs, we were just waiting for you two!”

Song Yuehua wanted to decline, but she couldn’t resist Mother Bai’s warmth and had to stay for lunch.

The meal was lively and cheerful, and the smile never left Song Yuehua’s face. Before she left, Mother Bai took her hand again and urged her, her gaze as affectionate as a real mother’s. “You must come for the New Year, don’t be shy! Auntie has already arranged it with Auntie Qin. We’ll all have a meal together, it’ll be so lively!”

“Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll definitely come!”

…

On New Year’s Eve, Song Yuehua arrived at the door with red envelopes, candy, and a gift she had bought for Mother Bai.

“Sister Yuehua!” Qin Zhen trotted up to Song Yuehua and called out happily.

“Sister Yuehua.” Bai Qingyuan looked at the empty spot on the sofa next to him with a displeased expression, but still followed Qin Zhen’s lead and greeted her.

“Hey, Happy New Year,” Song Yuehua replied with a smile, pulling two red envelopes from her pocket. She stuffed one into Qin Zhen’s hand first, then handed the other to Bai Qingyuan. “Lucky money for you. May you both be happy in the new year.”

The two of them accepted it with blushing faces.

For New Year’s Eve dinner, everyone was to make two of their specialty dishes.

For master cooks like Auntie Qin and Mother Bai, making any dish was a piece of cake; they didn’t even need to look at a recipe.

Bai Qingyu also cooked often, so being in the kitchen was no difficult task for her.

There was only Song Yuehua…

Song Yuehua was a complete kitchen novice.

For today’s New Year’s Eve dinner, she had been practicing her cooking skills diligently at home.

Seeing Song Yuehua’s expression, which looked like she was heading into battle, Qin Zhen sidled up to Bai Qingyuan, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered, “Qingyuan, do you think Sister Yuehua’s cooking will be good?”

Bai Qingyuan leaned close to Qin Zhen’s ear and replied, “It should be… edible, right?”