No One Knows [Rebirth] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Noticing My Good Qualities…

Qin Yu knew Tang Ruibai was smart, but she hadn’t realized she was this smart.

Perhaps it was because she had been too obvious, acting recklessly and exposing her inner emotions, counting on the metaphysical nature of her rebirth to keep her secret.

Whether it was toward Tang Ruibai or her own parents, she had been acting with glaring inconsistencies these past two days. It was just that she had spent most of her time in the hospital and hadn’t truly spent much time with her parents yet. If she stayed longer, they would definitely figure it out.

Even Tang Ruibai was already suspicious.

Qin Yu felt panicked inside, but her expression remained calm. Instead, she offered a smile: “Maybe it’s just that I’m too homesick. ‘A day apart feels like three autumns’—I’ve just been missing my room too much.”

“Go upstairs and get some rest,” Mrs. Wen added dotingly from the side. “Take a shower and sleep for a bit; I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”

The Qin family had over a dozen guest rooms, and Mrs. Wen had arranged for Tang Ruibai to stay in the one closest to Qin Yu’s bedroom.

The sheets and duvet covers in the room had all been changed to new ones, and even the lamps had been replaced; it looked very cozy.

As soon as Qin Yu entered, she noticed the difference and couldn’t help but give Mrs. Wen a mental thumbs-up.

Before, this guest room had been decorated in a “rental apartment” style—even Qi Miao’s group didn’t like staying here when they visited. In just one day, Mrs. Wen had completely revamped the style, showing just how much effort she had put in.

There was also a wide desk and an ergonomic chair, a desk lamp, and a bookshelf on the side with a few books scattered about.

“Little Tang, make yourself at home here,” Mrs. Wen said with a soft smile. “If you need anything, just tell your Auntie. We have everything you could need; don’t be a stranger.”

Tang Ruibai felt overwhelmed by the favor. As someone like her, who had grown accustomed to people being unkind, being treated with sudden warmth made her feel flustered—her instinct was to flee. If not for the fact that she had nowhere else to go and her body was incapacitated, she might have bolted out the door right then and there.

Tang Ruibai lowered her eyes and whispered, “Mhm, thank you, Auntie.”

She still possessed the most basic manners.

Mrs. Wen smiled at her. “The only downside to this room is that it doesn’t have an en-suite bathroom. There is a bathroom on this floor, but it’s in the far corner and hasn’t been used for a long time. So, for the time being, you’ll have to make do and share a bathroom with Xiao Yu.”

Tang Ruibai nodded, “Okay.”

After finishing her instructions, Mrs. Wen went downstairs, leaving the two young girls to talk.

Qin Yu asked Tang Ruibai if she wanted to shower.

In Tang Ruibai’s current condition, even showering was difficult, especially with bandages wrapped around her and countless minor wounds layered with various ointments. She needed to wash her hair, but with her injuries, it would require Qin Yu’s help.

Clearly, Tang Ruibai didn’t want that.

But not showering meant going to bed as a “dirty mess.” She could see that everything in this room was brand new, and she wanted to lie in bed feeling clean and refreshed.

It was another dilemma.

Life really wasn’t kind to her. It was either no choice at all or a difficult one. Perhaps poverty was like that—otherwise, why call it “a dead end”?

After a moment of inner struggle, Tang Ruibai exhaled lightly, her attitude softening slightly: “I’ll have to trouble you.”

When living under someone else’s roof, one had to be self-aware. Tang Ruibai had always found her own way to survive in precarious environments.

Qin Yu wheeled Tang Ruibai into the bathroom and took down the handheld showerhead, letting it run for a while until the hot water came through. After getting everything ready, she looked at Tang Ruibai: “Can you take your clothes off by yourself?”

Although she wouldn’t mind helping Tang Ruibai shower—she didn’t know how many times they had showered together—she knew Tang Ruibai would be embarrassed.

Seventeen-year-old girls have thin skin; Qin Yu knew this well.

Tang Ruibai nodded, “I can.”

Qin Yu placed the body wash and soap within her easy reach before stepping out, though still somewhat worried.

“I’ll be right outside the door. Call me if you need anything,” Qin Yu said. “Don’t be shy; I can enter with my eyes closed.”

Tang Ruibai: “…”

Tang Ruibai’s shower was an arduous process, but also very satisfying.

Because she didn’t have to be on edge; she didn’t have to worry about someone barging in halfway through, nor did she have to fear a sudden loss of water or electricity.

However, she couldn’t wash her hair. The act of bending over was incredibly painful; even a slight hunch made her upper body feel like it was about to snap in half. She tried scrubbing the foam on her head for a bit before eventually giving up in frustration.

The bathrobe was right at hand. After showering, Tang Ruibai wrapped herself up and exited the bathroom.

Having her life hanging in the balance after being injured left her feeling fragile. Her face was flushed from the heat of the steam. As soon as she stepped out, Qin Yu asked, “You didn’t wash your hair?”

“Mhm,” Tang Ruibai replied, “It was inconvenient.”

Qin Yu looked at the foam still on her head and said helplessly, “I’ll wash it for you.”

“No need,” Tang Ruibai refused without a second thought.

“Don’t tell me you want to go out to a hair salon to wash it?” Qin Yu immediately poked through her thoughts: “The nearest salon to my house is three kilometers away.”

As she spoke, she pushed Tang Ruibai back into the bathroom.

Qin Yu’s bathroom was equipped with a bathtub and a separate area for washing hair. Because she liked having long hair but found washing it troublesome, she had relied on her mother or a nanny to wash her hair before middle school.

With a slight adjustment, a person could lie in the bathtub with their head resting on the edge, waiting to be served.

These were things Tang Ruibai had never seen before. It was obvious that Qin Yu had always been the one being served.

But now, she sat there like a professional hair-washing assistant. She tested the water temperature on her hand first, then gathered the hair in her palms, rubbing it with gentle movements, as if she had done it countless times before.

Tang Ruibai lay there, her body rigid, her eyes darting back and forth.

The bathroom still held the lingering steam and the scent of body wash—a faint lavender aroma.

It smelled many times better than the lavender body wash she bought at supermarket discount promotions. Tang Ruibai had known it was fake the moment she used it. But that was normal; she could buy a huge bucket for ten yuan. Since they didn’t mind that she was poor, she was too embarrassed to mind that their products were fake.

Her thoughts drifted with the movement of the water, and Tang Ruibai’s breathing grew lighter.

Qin Yu had secretly glanced at Tang Ruibai a few times. Her seventeen-year-old face was full of collagen, without even a hint of dark circles under her eyes. Even though they had both taken good care of themselves in their previous lives and hadn’t had children, once they passed twenty-five, combined with irregular sleep schedules, wrinkles always crept onto the face. Especially crow’s feet—they were faint, but visible if you looked closely.

Unlike now, where her face was as tender as a peeled egg.

But Qin Yu quickly focused on washing Tang Ruibai’s hair. She was skilled at this because, in their previous life, Tang Ruibai had injured her arm while on a wire harness, and she had washed Tang Ruibai’s hair exactly like this.

Back then, they were just trying to save the twenty yuan it cost to get their hair washed at a salon, preferring to spend that money on a basin instead. And because conditions were crude, Tang Ruibai would lie on the bed while Qin Yu balanced the basin on the edge, supporting Tang Ruibai’s head with one hand the entire time.

Even then, they had been happy.

Once finished, Qin Yu would blow-dry her hair, and Tang Ruibai would massage Qin Yu’s hand with her uninjured one.

Looking back, it was a time of finding joy in bitterness.

Now, Qin Yu did it with ease, even knowing exactly where Tang Ruibai was most ticklish, using her fingertips to massage her—far more professional than the salon staff.

After the hair was washed, Qin Yu blew it dry.

Tang Ruibai felt refreshed, and her gaze toward Qin Yu softened.

Qin Yu put away the hairdryer, met her eyes, and chuckled, “Have you discovered my good qualities?”

There was an inexplicable, seductive nuance in those pretty eyes.

Tang Ruibai felt she looked like an amorous cat, like a peacock displaying its feathers. It looked like she was interested in her, but in reality, she was liking someone else through her.

Tang Ruibai didn’t know whose substitute she had become.

The feeling was truly terrible, and her expression changed instantly: “Is washing my hair supposed to count as a good quality? Your ‘good qualities’ are really cheap.”

Tang Ruibai changed her face as easily as flipping a page, giving Qin Yu no chance to react.

Qin Yu watched her manipulate the wheelchair toward the door, clutching her pajamas. Tang Ruibai’s voice was cold and aloof: “I don’t like you. No matter how much you do, it’s useless.”

Qin Yu chased after her to open the door and said in a low voice: “Then if I do nothing, you’ll like me even less.”