My Teacher Passed Away, and I Became Her Stand-in - Chapter 4

Jin Kaiyu’s entire body went stiff, as if struck by a blade. The faint, underlying unease she had harbored was exposed just like that.

Those words were beyond excessive; they were malicious. Qu Qiushuang spoke out in a startled voice: “Mom! You’ve gone too far!”

Cong Yun’s sharp gaze swept toward her: “Quiet! I felt it was a bad idea when she said she wanted to marry you back then. It was only because she insisted that Old Zhao and I agreed. Now that your wife is dead, you have the nerve to speak up for an outsider?!”

The color drained from Qu Qiushuang’s face instantly, and she stood frozen on the spot.

Cong Yun showed no mercy. The pain in her heart demanded she find someone to share it, so she continued to wield her words like a knife.

“You were married to her for all these years. Aside from being settled for the first few, she spent the rest of the time running around outside. As her wife, you never once discouraged her. Have you fulfilled even a single duty of a wife?”

Qu Qiushuang kept her head lowered, her lips pursed, saying not a word.

From Jin Kaiyu’s perspective, she could only see half of that face—fair as snow—and silent tears.

That tear seemed to carry a scorching temperature, instantly scalding Jin Kaiyu awake from the embarrassment of being struck.

Seeing Cong Yun about to speak again, she reached her limit: “Enough! Mentor’s wife is more heartbroken than anyone over what happened to Teacher. It doesn’t matter if you scold me—I deserve it—but how can you say such things to her? At your age, do you not feel the need to watch your tongue?”

Cong Yun was preparing to strike back when she saw the young woman looking at her with a forest-cold gaze. The rising flames in Jin Kaiyu’s eyes looked as if they could set a person on fire, causing Cong Yun to pause involuntarily.

Jin Kaiyu pointed to the USB drive on the table: “Teacher was thinking of her wife until her very last moment. You wouldn’t want her to be restless in the afterlife, would you?”

Cong Yun was stunned by her words. Remembering how her daughter had once insisted on marrying this woman, her voice died out, and she only wept in silence.

Jin Kaiyu followed up with an apology and a deep bow. Seeing Qu Qiushuang still standing there in a dazed silence, she supported her and led her outside.

So this was what the Zhao family was like. She could not leave Qu Qiushuang here.

The driver, Sister Qin, was waiting at the gate. Seeing the two of them come out after only a short while—one looking dazed and the other with a face swollen like a pig’s head—she was shocked. She quickly crushed her cigarette and stood up: “Xiao Yu, this…”

Jin Kaiyu tilted her chin slightly, and Sister Qin hurried over to open the car door.

Jin Kaiyu half-embraced Qu Qiushuang to get her into the back seat, then climbed in from the other side.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Sister Qin peeked at Jin Kaiyu’s face through the rearview mirror: “Xiao Yu, your face… should we go to the hospital?”

Jin Kaiyu’s ears were actually ringing, and her face felt like it was on fire.

But she had no time to worry about it, turning her head to look at Qu Qiushuang.

Qu Qiushuang leaned against the car seat, the corners of her eyes red, her gaze completely unfocused.

Just as Jin Kaiyu was about to ask where she wanted to go, Qu Qiushuang’s phone vibrated, interrupting her unspoken words.

Qu Qiushuang looked down at it but didn’t move.

The ringtone lasted for half a minute, refusing to stop, carrying an insistent ‘pick up or I won’t quit’ vibe.

Jin Kaiyu looked over curiously. Before she could clearly see the contact name, Qu Qiushuang pressed answer: “Dad, is something the matter?”

Her tone was exhausted.

The car was very quiet. Jin Kaiyu’s ears had always been sharp, and the sounds from the receiver crackled right into her ears.

“Something this big happened to Chengcheng and you didn’t tell us? How are you acting as a wife? You’ve made it impossible for us to offer our regards to the Zhao family immediately.”

Qu Qiushuang lowered her eyes without defending herself, her face showing a trace of weariness.

The male voice on the phone grew more urgent, with no intention of waiting for her explanation.

“Did you offend Cong Yun? Now that Chengcheng is gone, if you don’t play your cards right with Cong Yun, what will happen to the project we’re collaborating on with her family?”

Hearing this, Jin Kaiyu turned her face away.

With her eyes downcast, Qu Qiushuang’s usually gentle face looked somewhat wooden, even cold.

The person on the other end said a few more things, essentially telling Qu Qiushuang to yield to Cong Yun and coax her more. Without waiting to see if Qu Qiushuang agreed, the call was abruptly ended.

The air in the car was stagnant. Jin Kaiyu finally understood why Zhao Choucheng wanted her to look after Qu Qiushuang.

The former harmony had relied entirely on Zhao Choucheng’s maintenance.

Now that Zhao Choucheng had met with tragedy, the peaceful and warm layer of Qu Qiushuang’s life had been stripped away like a soft-glow mask, revealing a hideous reality. Both Zhao Choucheng’s parents and her own father were turning against her.

Being a junior, she had accidentally witnessed all of this.

Jin Kaiyu imagined Qu Qiushuang must be very humiliated. She felt sorry for having seen it.

She restrained herself from looking at Qu Qiushuang. Their home might not be a good place to go right now; the scenery would only trigger more grief.

Taking the initiative, she instructed Sister Qin: “Go to Xiangyu Yunwan.”

Jin Kaiyu’s parents had died in a plane crash when she was young, leaving only her and her sister, Jin Kanyan.

A company as large as the Jin Corporation relied entirely on Jin Kanyan’s management, which inevitably made her very busy.

Jin Kanyan traveled frequently for work, and Jin Kaiyu was often running around outside as well, their schedules rarely aligned.

The Jin family’s old estate was vast, and living there alone felt far too empty. When Jin Kanyan wasn’t in Haishi, Jin Kaiyu lived alone in Xiangyu Yunwan.

Qu Qiushuang did not object, so Jin Kaiyu took it as tacit consent.

Sister Qin drove to Xiangyu Yunwan, and Jin Kaiyu took the elevator up with Qu Qiushuang.

After pressing the code for the lock, she opened the door.

The interior was tidy. There was a note left by the housekeeper at the door dated today; it seemed the housekeeper had come to clean this morning, which relieved her.

Today was Qu Qiushuang’s first time at her home, and it wouldn’t be good to show her a dusty house.

Qu Qiushuang followed behind her, watching Jin Kaiyu’s slightly satisfied, bright smile with a hint of bewilderment in her eyes.

Jin Kaiyu opened the shoe cabinet and pulled out a pair of slippers.

Turning back, she saw Qu Qiushuang still outside the door and felt a bit puzzled: “Are you tired?”

Her gaze fell on Qu Qiushuang’s high heels—thin, high heels. It would be hard not to be tired after walking all that way.

Qu Qiushuang was deep in thought when she saw Jin Kaiyu approach with the slippers and squat down.

Qu Qiushuang was startled.

Because Jin Kaiyu had grasped her foot: “Please relax, don’t move.”

Qu Qiushuang’s entire body went rigid, allowing the girl to take off her shoes and put on the slippers for her.

Jin Kaiyu’s eyelashes were lowered, her expression peaceful, and her movements were quite natural.

Qu Qiushuang looked down at her, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

After helping her change shoes, Jin Kaiyu held the high heels in one hand while supporting herself against the shoe cabinet with the other. She tucked the heels into the cabinet and then stood up.

Her eyes were clear as she looked at Qu Qiushuang, her voice carrying a hint of the pleasure of a completed task: “There, not tired anymore. Please come in.”

Qu Qiushuang followed her inside.

Jin Kaiyu turned on the climate control system and adjusted the temperature. With her other hand, she made a circle encompassing the entire floor, repeating Qu Qiushuang’s words from the morning: “Make yourself at home. All the rooms were cleaned today. Whichever one you find comfortable, feel free to go and rest.”

Though she said “all the rooms,” there were actually only two. The rest had been converted into a media room and a collection room.

Jin Kaiyu didn’t really have a designated master bedroom or guest room. Since it was her own place, she was very casual, sleeping in one room today and another tomorrow.

Qu Qiushuang, however, didn’t look around. She sat on the sofa, watching Jin Kaiyu bustle about making tea for her, and asked: “Xiao Yu, why didn’t you dodge earlier?”

Jin Kaiyu poured the tea leaves into a cup and asked back with a composed expression: “Didn’t you also not dodge?”

Qu Qiushuang’s brows knit slightly, and she said helplessly: “Auntie Cong is my elder, but she is nothing to you.”

Jin Kaiyu’s hand paused as she set down the teacup.

Qu Qiushuang glanced at the bruised side of the girl’s face, sighed, and patted the empty spot on the sofa beside her: “Xiao Yu, come here.”

Jin Kaiyu didn’t understand why but turned and sat beside her anyway.

Qu Qiushuang was silent for a few seconds before asking: “Did the things Auntie Cong said get to you?”

“You truly think that way, don’t you? You feel your luck was untimely, and therefore you feel guilty toward us.”

Jin Kaiyu propped her hands on her legs and lowered her head dejectedly; she truly could not feel at ease.

Qu Qiushuang looked at the top of her dark hair, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to stroke it.

Feeling the soft texture under her hand, she continued to comfort her: “Don’t feel guilty, and don’t take this to heart.”

“I am very glad you were able to return safely. Zhao Choucheng would surely be very glad as well. The world is unpredictable; this is not your fault.”

Jin Kaiyu bowed her head even lower. These past two days, she had been restless. It started with infinite fear, which by last night had turned into jumbled shadows.

One moment it was the final scene in the recorder where Zhao Choucheng was swept up by a wave; the next it was the messy screams of other crew members; and then the times she and Zhao Choucheng had spent together.

And she was the sole survivor of this catastrophic accident. Should she be glad? Could she be glad?

But now, the person most qualified to blame her was telling her that she should, and she could.

Qu Qiushuang could only see her shoulders shaking. She sighed and reached out to tilt Jin Kaiyu’s chin up, revealing a face full of tears.

Qu Qiushuang pulled out a tissue to wipe the corners of her eyes: “Alright now, don’t cry. It’ll be uncomfortable if your eyes get swollen later.”

Jin Kaiyu spoke gloomily: “If I had tried harder to persuade Teacher, then this might not have happened to her.”

Qu Qiushuang grew quiet, her gaze distant, looking both sad and resentful: “How can this be blamed on you? How could you have possibly persuaded her?”

Jin Kaiyu wanted to argue further.

Qu Qiushuang’s expression grew a bit more indifferent, not wanting to mention it further. She changed the subject, lecturing: “Next time, you can’t just stand there and take a hit. Auntie Cong may look frail, but she loves gardening and can usually carry heavy objects; her grip is very strong. Such a beautiful face—what if a mark is left? How unsightly would that be?”

“Your shoulder must hurt a lot, too.”

Qu Qiushuang’s face was calm: “I’m wearing many layers, and that kind of spot doesn’t matter.”

“Still, you must apply medicine properly.” Jin Kaiyu raised her eyes and stared.

Qu Qiushuang nodded.

Jin Kaiyu wanted to say “let’s start now,” but it was inappropriate after all, so she had to swallow the words.

Thinking of what Qu Qiushuang had just said, she raised her hand to cover her face and let out a ‘hiss’: “Is it really that unsightly?”

Qu Qiushuang pretended to exaggerate: “Yes.”

Qu Qiushuang pulled her hand over. There was a blue-black bruise with stagnant blood on the back of Jin Kaiyu’s hand, spreading across almost the entire back; it looked shocking.

This had happened the day before yesterday when the IV needle was pulled out. Jin Kaiyu had been so busy these past two days she was dizzy; the moment she stopped, her head would ring, and she hadn’t bothered to handle such a minor injury.

Qu Qiushuang frowned and tentatively touched it: “Does it hurt?”

Jin Kaiyu shook her head. she had always been very capable of enduring pain, so it was fine; it was just that Qu Qiushuang’s touch was a bit itchy.

“Nonsense, how could it not hurt?” Qu Qiushuang chided lightly, standing up to survey the room. “Are there ice cubes in the fridge? Where is the medicine box?”

Jin Kaiyu pressed her back down onto the sofa: “I have both. I’ll go get them myself.”

The housekeeper checked the house regularly, so common medicines were all there. Jin Kaiyu brought the medicine box to the coffee table and scooped out a small box of ice cubes.

Qu Qiushuang opened the medicine box, her movements in taking out bandages and ointment exceptionally practiced.

She worked around the wound, using a cotton swab to evenly apply the bruise-resolving ointment to the back of Jin Kaiyu’s hand. After applying it, she pressed it a few times with the swab, perhaps to help absorption, and even blew on Jin Kaiyu’s hand.

Jin Kaiyu looked down. Qu Qiushuang’s jade-like neck was curved downward, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her lower lids. She was as beautiful as the statues of goddesses Jin Kaiyu had seen when she went to temples to pray as a child.

The ointment dried slowly, so Qu Qiushuang took a thick cotton bandage, folded it into several layers, wrapped it around the ice cubes, tied it into a ball, and pressed it against the side of Jin Kaiyu’s face.

The touch against her cheek was icy cold, but because of the bandage barrier, it wasn’t a stinging pain; it was a very soothing and comfortable sensation.

At first, Jin Kaiyu let her hold it there, but after a while, an odd feeling arose in her heart. She quickly raised her hand to take the ice pack: “I can do it myself.”

Qu Qiushuang said softly: “I thought your other hand hurt as well.”

Two faint blushes bloomed on Jin Kaiyu’s fair face.

Qu Qiushuang glanced at her bright red earlobes, and her gaze instantly became empty again.

The ointment on the hand was mostly dry. She cut a bandage and wrapped it carefully, stacking several layers. When finished, she cut the end and tied a beautiful butterfly bow.

The bow was neat and cute, but Jin Kaiyu let out an “ah” and her face fell: “I still have to go out and handle business later.”

Qu Qiushuang patted her shoulder, her eyes curving slightly as she pretended to be dejected: “Is it very ugly?”

Jin Kaiyu quickly shook her head: “No, it looks especially good, it’s just…”

“It’s just what?” Qu Qiushuang’s voice was low.

Jin Kaiyu continued to shake her head: “Nothing, nothing.”

Qu Qiushuang was somewhat satisfied with her reaction. She straightened up, packing the used tools while instructing: “Now that I’ve bandaged it for you, you can’t let it touch water. Remember to wear gloves when you shower.”

Jin Kaiyu didn’t really care, but seeing her serious expression, she could only agree.

Qu Qiushuang put the medicine box away. Seeing that Jin Kaiyu’s mood had lifted a bit, she asked again: “Did you also help guests change their shoes like that in the past?”

Jin Kaiyu was dazed and said instinctively: “Huh? No one has ever been here except for my sister.”

After saying it, she quickly realized Qu Qiushuang thought her actions were a bit exaggerated.

She felt she was a bit closer to Qu Qiushuang today, so she confessed honestly: “You are different, you are an elder.”

Qu Qiushuang glanced at her sincere eyes and brow. Her expression was neutral, her feelings unreadable, as she simply lowered her head and sipped her tea.