My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 44

Bai Qingyu stared at the detestable man before her.

In her childhood, she had been weak both physically and mentally. Though the man wasn’t particularly tall in others’ eyes, to her younger self, he had loomed like a dark, suffocating mountain. Whenever he raised his voice, his spittle would spray onto her face, and his ferocity always made her clutch the hem of her clothes and shrink back in fear.

But the man had long forgotten, the Bai Qingyu of today was no longer the little girl he could push around, the one who didn’t even dare to cry loudly.

Without so much as a flicker in the corner of her eye, Bai Qingyu reached out and precisely seized his outstretched wrist. With a slight twist of her fingers, she leveraged his momentum to bend his arm outward.

A searing pain shot from his wrist to his elbow. The man gasped sharply and howled, “Bai Qingyu, have you grown some nerve? How dare you hit me?”

His face flushed a purplish-red as he cursed under his breath. With his other hand clenched into a fist, he attempted to swing at Bai Qingyu. She frowned, and before his fist could land, her other hand shot out, firmly gripping his wrist.

With another twist of her wrist, Bai Qingyu executed a swift shoulder throw.

A dull thud echoed as the man crashed heavily to the ground, clutching his waist and groaning as he rolled back and forth.

With the man no longer blocking her view, Bai Qingyu caught sight of someone rushing toward the alley entrance, clearly in a hurry.

Song Yuehua had just arrived when she witnessed the scene.

The usually gentle and soft-spoken Bai Qingyu had actually thrown a grown man to the ground. Song Yuehua froze on the spot, her hands fluttering uncertainly as her mind raced in confusion.

Something… something wasn’t right.

A flicker of panic flashed in Bai Qingyu’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant. She released her grip and gently rubbed her own wrist, her previously cold and rigid expression softening instantly. With a hint of grievance in her tone, she walked toward Song Yuehua, her voice soft and delicate. “Yuehua, my hand hurts a little…”

Song Yuehua had no time to think about anything else. Instinctively, she stepped forward, took Bai Qingyu’s wrist, and began massaging it gently, careful not to cause any more pain.

Bai Qingyu lowered her gaze, watching Song Yuehua’s anxious expression, a trace of smugness flickering secretly in her eyes.

After a few moments of massaging, Song Yuehua finally registered what had happened.

Wait a minute! When Qingqing threw that man to the ground just now, she hadn’t seemed to exert any effort at all. So why was she complaining of pain now?

Her hands continued their motion, but her eyes drifted toward the man still groaning on the ground. Her voice carried a note of panic. “Qingqing, who is this man? Is he okay? Will he… will he call the police? Your company has just started to stabilize, we can’t afford any trouble like this!”

Song Yuehua was frantic with worry.

Bai Qingyu chuckled softly and said, “Don’t panic, it’s fine.”

The man on the ground staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. His knees still ached faintly as he clumsily brushed the dust off his coat, all while shuffling closer to Song Yuehua, not even pausing to rub his sore backside. “Young lady, you’d better keep your eyes open! I’m her biological father, and she dared to lay hands on me. How ruthless can she be? You need to be careful around her in the future!”

He muttered incessantly, inwardly cursing Bai Qingyu: That wretched girl, since when did she get so strong? She nearly broke my back with that throw!

Song Yuehua looked questioningly at Bai Qingyu.

Bai Qingyu nodded to her, indicating that what he said was true.

She stared unblinkingly at Song Yuehua’s face, not wanting to miss even the slightest change in expression.

Song Yuehua’s face flushed with anger. “I know Qingqing better than anyone! She would never hit someone without a reason. Uncle, you must have done something to upset her, that’s the only way she would act like this!”

The man was momentarily speechless, then stiffened his neck and took half a step forward, jabbing his finger toward the ground as he shouted defiantly, “I’m her father! The one who gave her life and raised her! Now that she has money, isn’t it only right that she gives me some? But no, not only does she refuse, she even dares to hit me!”

At the mention of money, Song Yuehua suddenly remembered.

In the latter part of the book, when Bai Qingyu was hurt by Song Yuelan and the two were at odds, it was because Song Yuehua saved Bai Qingyu from her father’s threats that they reconciled.

Since the plot had changed after Song Yuehua transmigrated, Bai Qingyu hadn’t been imprisoned, her mother was still alive, and they had even started a company, Song Yuehua had assumed the later events wouldn’t occur. She never expected Bai Qingyu’s father to show up.

With the man standing right there, Song Yuehua pushed aside her curiosity about how Bai Qingyu had managed to throw him so forcefully.

“Nonsense! It was Auntie Bai who raised her! What have you ever done besides asking her for money? How dare you call yourself her father!”

Song Yuehua retorted angrily.

Bai Qingyu watched Song Yuehua defending her so fiercely and felt her heart stir. She loved seeing Song Yuehua’s emotions flare up for her, loved the way her eyes held no one else. But she didn’t want to waste any more time on this man.

Gently, she took hold of Song Yuehua’s wrist and pulled her closer before turning to the man. Her voice was flat, yet icy. “Leave. Don’t come looking for me again. I won’t give you any money. If I see you next time, I won’t go as easy on you as I did today, I’ll make sure you’re in too much pain to stand.”

The man opened his mouth to curse, but at her words, he swallowed the insults with an audible gulp.

He lifted his eyes to meet Bai Qingyu’s gaze. Her pupils were as dark and bottomless as a deep pool, utterly devoid of warmth. A shiver ran down his legs, and the ache from being thrown still pulsed in his bones. He didn’t dare act tough anymore.

He knew Bai Qingyu wasn’t joking.

He had witnessed her fierceness since she was a child.

At first, Bai Qingyu would cover her head and sob, begging him not to hit her. But by the time she was eight, she was already coming at him with a kitchen knife.

He remembered one time when he was drunk and tried to hit her mother. Bai Qingyu suddenly rushed out of the kitchen, gripping a gleaming cleaver. The cold glint of the blade made his head spin. She didn’t cry or shout, just stared straight at him, her voice freezing. “Hit my mom again, and I’ll chop your hand off. I’m just a kid, no one will blame me.”

In the end, her mother rushed over and hugged the child, sobering him up with fear. From then on, he never dared to raise his hand again, only venting with empty threats.

But that shoulder throw she had just executed was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

This girl hadn’t softened over the years, if anything, she was even more ruthless than before, acting without a second thought.

Now, the man began to feel the urge to retreat.

The man’s desire to retreat completely overpowered his greed: Forget it, forget it. The money Song Yuelan gave me is enough to last a while. Compared to my life, what’s a little money? He didn’t want to be thrown again, next time, he might really break an arm or a leg.

Hunching his shoulders, he tried to skirt around Bai Qingyu. As he passed Song Yuehua, he couldn’t bear to admit defeat so easily. Swallowing hard, he lowered his voice and tried to stir trouble: “Little girl, don’t be fooled by her. She’s full of schemes, not as innocent as you think…”

Before he could finish, Bai Qingyu whipped her head around, her gaze like an ice-cold dagger, piercing him sharply.

This was the first time since the man had shown up that she displayed such obvious anger.

Terrified by her glare, his eyelids twitching, he didn’t dare wait for Song Yuehua’s reaction and practically scrambled out of the alley.

Song Yuehua frowned at the man’s words and said, “He’s really awful, not only treating you poorly but also slandering you.”

Seeing the unwavering support in her eyes and not a hint of doubt, Bai Qingyu’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly. After a moment of silence, she nodded gently. “Ignore him. If you see him again, just avoid him.”

“Mm, I know!” Song Yuehua agreed, then suddenly remembered what had just happened. Her eyes widened as she mimed a “lifting” motion and asked curiously, “By the way, Qingqing, how did you manage to lift him up so easily just now? Since when have you been so strong?”

Although she had known about Bai Qingyu’s physical strength from moving things before, this was on a completely different level!

Bai Qingyu’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. She quickly reached out and tugged Song Yuehua’s arm, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Never mind that. Look, it’s almost two o’clock. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late. I’ll explain everything slowly when we get back to the office, okay?”

“Ah? Oh, alright!” At the mention of being late, Song Yuehua immediately suppressed her curiosity and hurried after Bai Qingyu out of the alley.

The walk from the alley to the office was only two or three hundred meters. The afternoon sun stretched their shadows long across the bluestone-paved sidewalk.

For the first time, the atmosphere between them was quiet, with no one speaking.

Walking beside Bai Qingyu, Song Yuehua couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at her arms.

I’ve seen her arms in the summer, and I’ve touched them, they’re soft. How could she lift such a big person?

Bai Qingyu kept her eyes forward, acutely aware of Song Yuehua’s undisguised gaze.

Once they reached the office, she escaped to her desk.

“Yuehua, I’ve sent the files that need organizing to your email,” she said without looking up, trying to keep her voice calm. “We’ll need them before the end of the afternoon. Take a look first.”

“Okay, I’ll get on it right away.” Song Yuehua decided to save her questions for after work.

As quitting time approached, Bai Qingyu looked up at Song Yuehua, who was focused on her computer, and said, “Let’s call it a day here.”

Only then did Song Yuehua lift her head from the spreadsheets, her mind still a bit dazed. She replied vaguely, “Alright…”

Tonight was their scheduled shopping trip to the mall.

Besides groceries, Song Yuehua had her eye on some bright red, crisp apples, and they bought a few.

After returning home, they first refilled Song Xiaomi’s cat food.

The bright red apples looked incredibly crisp and sweet, so large that Song Yuehua’s hands could barely hold one.

She examined the large apple in front of her and suddenly asked, “Qingqing, Qingqing.”

Bai Qingyu had just finished changing her clothes when she heard Song Yuehua cheerfully calling her name.

“Can you split the apple directly with your hands? No scratching it first, just break it apart,” Song Yuehua asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her.

Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Bai Qingyu sighed helplessly, reached out, and took the apple. It was large and round, fitting perfectly in her hand.

With her fingertips lightly gripping both ends of the apple, she applied a slight force with her wrist. A soft “crack” echoed, and the apple split cleanly into two halves.

Song Yuehua’s eyes widened instantly, her mouth slightly agape. Before she could say anything, Bai Qingyu pressed the two halves back together, held them with one hand, and applied force again. Two more soft cracks followed, and the apple was divided into four nearly equal pieces.

Song Yuehua was so stunned she couldn’t close her mouth.

Seeing her reaction, Bai Qingyu felt that things weren’t as bad as she had imagined. She smiled, stuffed one piece of the apple into Song Yuehua’s mouth, another into her own, and placed the remaining pieces in Song Yuehua’s hand.

“This batch is indeed sweet. Let’s buy from here again next time,” she said.

With that, she ruffled Song Yuehua’s hair, turned around, and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving Song Yuehua standing there in astonishment.