My Wife, So Fierce! - Chapter 30

Call Her Mom?

Zheng Yao had no intention of taking advantage like that. With righteous solemnity, she declared, “Absolutely unnecessary. I know my own limits.”

This wasn’t some role-playing game.

Call her “Mom”?

She had no such proclivities.

After much deliberation, she had finally decided that the protagonist of her next book would be a single mother.

Though she could observe Shen Baiyi, after all, she was an outsider some thoughts were hard to guess, and it was difficult to fully empathize. But if the protagonist were a single mother, it would be much easier to relate.

After all, right now, she might as well be a mother without the labor pains.

She had far too many feelings about it.

Moreover, this way, the protagonist’s character could be richer she could be the most vulnerable mother or the strongest mother.

She already had a rough framework in mind.

In the novel, Shen Baiyi could be a model student, constantly drawing out the resilience buried deep within the single mother’s heart. Later, Shen Baiyi could go missing or even die, and her death could serve as the catalyst for the mother’s emotional transformation.

Revenge?

Or a descent into darkness, becoming a new perpetrator?

Ah, no matter which path, both were tropes she was eager to explore.

That night, she outlined the entire story.

She even sent the outline to her editor, whose reaction was far more enthusiastic than she had anticipated.

[Qinghu Culture—Meisheng]: AHHHHH this is so interesting!

[Qinghu Culture—Meisheng]: It’s a completely different genre from your previous books! Just reading the outline has me hyped! Handing the pen to you, great author!

[Qinghu Culture—Meisheng]: Oh my god, oh my god! How are you so diligent? You already have a new idea! Praise!

A dozen messages followed, all filled with effusive praise, and only at the very end did the editor offer a minor revision suggestion.

A classic editor’s tactic.

Zheng Yao humbly accepted the feedback, and before she knew it, she had stayed up late.

By the time she realized, it was already half past midnight. Remembering she had to take Shen Baiyi to school the next day, she immediately shut down her computer and went to bed, not daring to stay up any later.

But it had been a long time since she had woken up early.

So when her alarm went off the next morning, she barely registered it, instinctively turning it off and falling back asleep.

By the time she was jolted awake again, an hour had passed.

The relentless knocking at her door dragged her out of her dreamy rendezvous with the Duke of Zhou. For those first few seconds of wakefulness, she still hadn’t remembered she was supposed to take Shen Baiyi to school. It wasn’t until she flung the door open in irritation and saw Shen Baiyi already dressed in her new uniform, waiting outside that it all came rushing back.

“Big sister, if you don’t get up soon, I might be late,” Shen Baiyi said, her gaze involuntarily lingering on Zheng Yao’s chest. She was wearing a spaghetti-strap nightgown, and one of the straps had slipped down, revealing half of a milky-white curve.

Pale and smooth, it made Shen Baiyi think irresistibly of those plump, round milk candies.

Before she could take a closer look, the door slammed shut again.

Listening to the chaotic clattering sounds from inside, Shen Baiyi’s eyes curved into crescents, easily picturing the flustered mess her sister was in.

Big sister is really so cute.

Kind-hearted, adorable, always smelling so nice, and hm, her hands are soft too, so comfortable to touch.

At this thought, Shen Baiyi lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her palms felt rough to the touch, even calloused hardened in a way she couldn’t explain.

Her body also seemed covered in scars, though she wasn’t sure if they were from her fall down the stairs or from something else. Last time, when her sister asked if she had any other injuries, she hadn’t dared to admit just how many there were.

They looked like they might have come from fights.

Maybe she really hadn’t been a good student in the past.

The door suddenly swung open again, and Shen Baiyi glanced up.

Her sister was wearing a white blouse with a high lace collar today, layered under a beige wool coat. She looked tall and slender, beautiful and gentle.

She brushed past Shen Baiyi and rushed into the bathroom, emerging just a few minutes later, her face still damp.

“Let’s go.”

Zheng Yao wiped the water droplets from her face with a towel as she walked ahead. When she didn’t hear footsteps following, she turned back. “Shen Baiyi?”

“Hmm?” Shen Baiyi snapped out of her thoughts and handed over the potato pancakes she had made. “Here, have breakfast, Sister.”

“Keep them for yourself.” Zheng Yao waved her off, grabbing her keys before shoving the backpack from the couch into Shen Baiyi’s arms. “I’ll take you to school first.”

Shen Baiyi took two of the potato pancakes and, after a moment’s thought, grabbed a carton of milk they had bought the day before.

Originally, Zheng Yao had planned to get Shen Baiyi to school in time for the first class, but it was already past eight. By the time they arrived, the first period would likely be nearly over.

She could only hope they wouldn’t be late for the second class.

Unfortunately, the heavens weren’t listening to Zheng Yao’s silent plea. It was rush hour, and the roads were congested.

“Sister, eat.”

A potato pancake was suddenly held up to her lips.

Zheng Yao glanced down. The aroma was too tempting, she couldn’t resist. She took a bite, and as soon as she swallowed, Shen Baiyi offered the milk.

“Drink it yourself,” Zheng Yao said with a frown.

“I already ate at home,” Shen Baiyi replied softly. “I brought this for you.”

Fine.

Having just finished the pancake, Zheng Yao was thirsty. She took a big sip while waiting for the traffic to move.

Admittedly, Shen Baiyi was good at taking care of people. Before Zheng Yao realized it, she had been fed two potato pancakes and half a carton of milk, leaving her comfortably full.

When Shen Baiyi tried to offer the milk again, Zheng Yao shook her head. “No more.”

Shen Baiyi nodded. “Okay.”

She stared at the milk for a while before turning back to Zheng Yao. “Sister, can I drink it?”

“That’s the one I drank from,” Zheng Yao said, surprised. “If you’re thirsty, you can buy water at school. I think there’s a small store inside.”

It suddenly occurred to her that she had forgotten to buy Shen Baiyi a water bottle.

But the school’s convenience store should make things easy enough.

“I want to drink it now.”

Shen Baiyi lowered her head, dejected.

So the girl didn’t seem to have any hang-ups about sharing food. Zheng Yao raised an eyebrow. “Suit yourself.”

It wasn’t like she was the one drinking after someone else.

At this, Shen Baiyi’s mood instantly lifted, her voice bright. “Thank you, Sister!”

Tch. So easily pleased.

Zheng Yao shook her head and left Shen Baiyi to it.

After rushing, they finally managed to get Shen Baiyi to school before the second class. Now that the class was over, the school was filled with students, and Zheng Yao had no intention of going inside. “Go in by yourself. Teacher Fu said you’re in Class 2 of the third year. Ask your classmates if you don’t know the way, got it?”

“Got it,” Shen Baiyi nodded.

“Eat lunch in the cafeteria. You’re in your final year now, so you’ll have to tough it out during lunch. After eating, rest your head on the desk for a bit. When you wake up, you can study or do some exercises. Going back and forth would be inconvenient and a waste of time. I’ll pick you up after evening self-study to go home.”

Hearing the last sentence, Shen Baiyi’s eyes sparkled. She nodded emphatically, “Okay, don’t worry, Sister. I’ll definitely study hard at school.”

“Since when was I worried about you?” Zheng Yao bristled at the comment, crossing her arms with a cold expression. “Get inside already.”

But Shen Baiyi had already learned to find Zheng Yao’s unique tenderness beneath her aloofness. She still smiled sweetly, “Goodbye, Sister. I’ll miss you.”

Zheng Yao: ???

Miss her? Why?

Unfortunately, Shen Baiyi had already dashed into the school. Even if Zheng Yao wanted to grab her and argue, she no longer had the chance.

Strangely enough, even though Shen Baiyi had only stayed at her place for a few days, Zheng Yao actually felt a little unaccustomed after sending her off to school.

It was as if traces of Shen Baiyi were everywhere at home.

So much so that Zheng Yao kept thinking about her.

Admittedly, Shen Baiyi was really good at winning people over impossible to dislike. She should have realized that back in the village.

Shen Baiyi handled everything flawlessly, so considerate it was almost heartbreaking.

Zheng Yao sprawled on the sofa, stroking Bub’s head, feeling a pang of regret. If only she hadn’t gone to that village she wouldn’t have known Shen Baiyi, and Shen Baiyi wouldn’t have known her. The two of them probably would never have crossed paths in this lifetime.

Then things wouldn’t be like this now.

Sigh.

She let out another heavy sigh.

The next second, a sharp pain shot through her hand Bubu, annoyed at being held, had bitten her. It wasn’t hard, just a light press of teeth against her skin.

But that didn’t stop Zheng Yao from getting angry. “You actually bit me?!”

Her fury didn’t faze Bub in the slightest. Instead, the cat swiped at her with its claws before finally breaking free and leaping off the sofa.

“…”

Ungrateful cat!

Living in her house, eating her food, and still daring to bite and scratch her?! She might as well have kept Shen Baiyi around at least she knew how to be sweet!

Thinking of Shen Baiyi again, Zheng Yao rubbed her chin, wondering how the poor thing was doing at school.

She always felt Shen Baiyi was too delicate, like a soft persimmon that anyone could squeeze and shape as they pleased.

Would Shen Baiyi get bullied on her very first day?

But in reality, Zheng Yao was overthinking it.

Perhaps even Shen Baiyi herself hadn’t noticed, but her demeanor changed quite a bit when facing Zheng Yao compared to others.

Maybe it was the memory loss, the façade she used to put up for everyone now seemed reserved for just one person.

As for everyone else, Shen Baiyi couldn’t be bothered to waste her energy.

After all, she was at school to study.

So when dealing with others, Shen Baiyi came off as rather indifferent, even giving a perfunctory self-introduction: “I’m Shen Baiyi,” before brushing past them.

Although this was the critical final year of high school where every second counted, transferring at such a crucial time, being so strikingly beautiful, and having a visible head injury made Shen Baiyi stand out enough to cause a minor stir in the class.

But Shen Baiyi remained aloof, burying herself in books and test papers, so the attention she garnered quickly faded.

The day had gone relatively smoothly otherwise.

Yet Shen Baiyi felt a pang of disappointment.

Her elder sister had been a humanities student, while she was in the sciences, so her homeroom teacher was a young female instructor not the same one her sister had before.

Because of this disappointment, she barely touched her lunch.

Had her sister eaten properly at home? Or had she ordered those nutritionally empty takeouts again?

At the thought, her brows furrowed slightly.

The next moment, a tray clattered onto the table across from her as someone took a seat.

She paused but didn’t look up, quietly continuing her meal. The cafeteria was a public space she didn’t own the seat, so it was normal for someone to sit there.

But soon, she realized this person had come specifically for her.

A nudge against her foot made Shen Baiyi tense, her lips pressing into a thin line as she subtly drew her leg back.

Then, the other girl lightly kicked her shoe again.

These were the new shoes her sister had specially taken her to buy just yesterday.

Shen Baiyi’s jaw tightened as she lifted her cold gaze.

“Wow, you finally looked at me!” The girl beamed. “You’re seriously stunning. Wanna go out, pretty girl?”

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