Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 33

Xie Bufei felt as though Yu Qiao was teasing her.

But this was Yu Qiao, how could she possibly mean it in that way? The “wooden block” only had a breakthrough once in a blue moon; Xie Bufei was already thanking the heavens for that small mercy.

“Just light?” Driven by a sudden impulse, Xie Bufei leaned closer. “No other feeling?”

Yu Qiao looked at her and reached out to cover Xie Bufei’s eyes, answering with something completely different: “Weren’t you tired? Go to sleep.”

Her palm was dry and warm, like a gentle breeze brushing against Xie Bufei’s cheek.

Xie Bufei caught her hand, pulled it down, and pursed her lips. Who could sleep after that?

She lay on her side, edging closer to Yu Qiao, and lightly rested her foot against Yu Qiao’s calf. “Aren’t you tired, Qiaoqiao?”

Yu Qiao paused. “You sleep first. I’m going to read for a bit.”

The girl leaned against the headboard, pulling a book from the bedside cabinet and flipping it open. Her eyes were cast downward, her profile bathed in the warm, orange-red glow of the desk lamp. Her black hair fell over her shoulders with a soft, hazy aura; she looked incredibly gentle.

The surroundings were silent. Xie Bufei tossed and turned, unable to sleep, her heart thudding loudly.

She reached out to tug at Yu Qiao’s sleeve and whispered, “What are you reading? You haven’t turned the page in forever.”

Yu Qiao glanced at her and showed the cover, it was a foreign language novel.

“Senior, your feet are a bit cold.”

Xie Bufei pouted instinctively, her tone bordering on a pouty whine. “It’s an old problem, ever since I was little. Sorry, did I freeze you?”

“It’s okay,” Yu Qiao said. “Remember to soak your feet in hot water before bed in the future. It’ll help a lot.”

Xie Bufei hummed obediently. Her fingers circled around Yu Qiao’s waist, brushing against her intermittently. Through the thin pajamas, she could feel the other girl’s slender waist and the distinct warmth of her skin.

Yu Qiao looked at her helplessly, closed the book, and reached out to catch the mischievous fingertips. “Senior, stop it.”

Xie Bufei looked as though she had discovered a new world, her eyes lighting up with interest. “Are you ticklish?”

Yu Qiao held her back and shrank away slightly. “A little.”

In the next second, she saw Xie Bufei’s eyes narrow with a mischievous glint.

“Wait—”

Fingers nimbly escaped her grasp, suddenly slipping under the hem of her pajama top and lightly grazing over the sensitive skin.

Yu Qiao couldn’t escape; she curled downward, desperately trying to use the blanket to shield her stomach. A flush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. “Senior, don’t…”

Xie Bufei flipped over to sit up, her smile as sly as a fox. She watched with glowing eyes as the tips of Yu Qiao’s ears turned beet-red. Her slender white fingers moved upward along the side of Yu Qiao’s waist until they reached a certain spot and suddenly stopped.

The texture there was different—a narrow, elongated strip of rough, uneven skin… like a scar.

Xie Bufei stared at her blankly. “This is…”

Yu Qiao remained huddled in the blankets, her black hair messy and her nose beaded with sweat. She went silent for a moment before saying hoarsely, “My dad did it.”

Xie Bufei’s eyes widened, and she jerked her hand back, flustered. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay.” Yu Qiao looked at her, her gaze clear and bright. “I know you didn’t mean to.”

Why is it like this…

Xie Bufei bit her lip and asked softly, “Qiaoqiao, can I ask why?”

Yu Qiao looked at her and gave a quiet, subtle smile—one tinged with a sadness that made her look lonely.

“You can.”

Xie Bufei said, “Why would your father hit you? You’re so good…”

“He didn’t need a reason.” Yu Qiao said. “Whether he was happy or unhappy, he would hit us. Sometimes it was because he lost all his money gambling and couldn’t afford cigarettes or alcohol. Sometimes he just didn’t like the look of us at home. If we said a single word more than he wanted, it was a beating.”

Xie Bufei shuddered, her fists gradually tightening. “That’s just domestic violence.”

“Yes,” Yu Qiao lowered her eyes. “So he’s in prison. Sentenced to five years. I’m the one who sent him there personally.”

“This is the fifth year.”

Xie Bufei didn’t say a word. She silently reached out and pulled Yu Qiao into her arms. They held each other tightly, arms wrapped around waists and feet touching, like two dodder plants clinging to each other for life, inextricably intertwined.

Yu Qiao was silent for a long time before she spoke slowly. “My family came from a very poor small village. My parents came to the city to make a living after they got married, but then my dad changed. He couldn’t find work and went out gambling every day. He thought education was useless and constantly tried to make me drop out to work and earn money for him.”

Xie Bufei choked up. “But your grades are so good…”

“The mindsets in small mountain villages are too backward.” Yu Qiao smiled. “My mom begged him for a long time before he finally agreed to let me finish high school.”

“I remember that day. He came home drunk. My mom and I were sleeping when he suddenly kicked the door open, grabbed my mom by her hair, and dragged her off the bed.”

“He beat her more violently and cruelly than ever before. His breath reeked of alcohol; it was as if he had gone mad. When I pushed the door open, I saw my mom lying on the ground, barely breathing, with blood everywhere. He turned to look at me and told me to go to the kitchen and get the knife.”

“I went into the kitchen, secretly called the police, and then I picked up the kitchen knife.”

Xie Bufei paused, sensing what was coming. “You stabbed him?”

Yu Qiao whispered, “Yes.”

Her hands had trembled as she gripped that knife and lunged at the man’s back.

“I still dream about that scene sometimes.” Yu Qiao closed her eyes, her eyelashes quivering. “The way my mom looked lying on the ground… she looked dead. In that moment, I was so scared, so desperate. When the knife came out, my hands were covered in blood.”

Xie Bufei felt her heart ache with an unspeakable tenderness.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s all in the past…” Her fingers moved gently through Yu Qiao’s hair, her voice soft like a night breeze. “Qiaoqiao, you’ve actually done so well. You are braver than most people.”

Yu Qiao buried her face in the crook of Xie Bufei’s neck. After a long time, she said muffledly, “Senior, I haven’t told anyone else about this.”

Now, she had split herself open from the inside out, revealing the black-and-white truths of her past, presenting every detail before Xie Bufei.

Xie Bufei lowered her head, brushed aside a stray hair, and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “Then I’ll keep Qiaoqiao’s secret. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Everything will get better. You’ll keep getting stronger, and your father will never be able to hurt you like he did before.”

Yu Qiao blinked, the stinging in her eyes gradually fading. She smiled and nodded firmly. “Mm, it will.”

Xie Bufei smiled with her. In the orange glow, her eyes were bright and her expression was warm and moving.

“It’s late. Let’s sleep.”

Yu Qiao instinctively rubbed her face against Xie Bufei’s neck. “Goodnight.”

Senior is truly so gentle, she thought.

Perhaps because she had finally laid her old secrets out in the sun, she felt a lightness through her entire body. With that thought, she drifted into a daze and fell into a deep sleep.

In her dreams, it felt as though someone lightly patted her head and whispered: “Goodnight. I hope you never have nightmares again.”

It was a night of good dreams; she didn’t wake up once.

When the morning sun filtered through the curtains, Yu Qiao’s biological clock kicked in at 8:00 AM, and she woke up naturally.

She slowly opened her eyes. The person beside her was curled up in her arms, her fluffy head nuzzling against the crook of her neck. She was sleeping soundly, her hands and feet tucked away and feeling warm to the touch.

In the warmth of the blankets on an autumn morning, Yu Qiao suddenly felt an indescribable sense of peace and comfort.

She lifted the covers, intending to go to the bathroom. The movement startled Xie Bufei awake; she half-lidded her eyes, looking at Yu Qiao hazily. “Are you getting up?”

“No, just going to the bathroom…” Yu Qiao said. “Sleep a bit longer.”

“Oh…” Xie Bufei gave a low response and closed her eyes. “Then come back quickly.”

“Okay.”

Yu Qiao stepped out of the bedroom. The living room was silent, and her mother’s room was already empty. On the dining table sat two cups of soy milk and a bag of buns, held down by a note. Yu Qiao walked over and read her mother’s message.

“Qiaoqiao, I’ve gone to work. Remember to finish the breakfast on the table when you wake up.”

She put the note back, used the bathroom, and returned to the room. The moment she lay down, the person beside her clingily pressed closer, tightly encircling her waist and tangling their legs together.

“What took you so long?”

Yu Qiao glanced at her phone and felt like laughing. “It wasn’t long. Only five minutes.”

Xie Bufei, eyes still heavy with sleep, argued her point with conviction: “Five minutes is a full three hundred seconds.”

“Alright, alright,” Yu Qiao smiled. “My mistake.”

Xie Bufei seemed as though she hadn’t fully woken up yet. She shook her head with a half-beat delay and murmured seriously, “You’re not wrong. Don’t say that about yourself.”

She buried her head back into Yu Qiao’s shoulder. “Just remember to come back sooner next time.”

Yu Qiao said softly, “Okay. Definitely, next time.”

A minute later, Xie Bufei’s breathing grew long and steady as she quickly fell back into dreamland. Yu Qiao watched her face in silence, feeling a sense of tranquility in her heart. She tucked in the quilt, closed her eyes, and followed her back to sleep.

By the time she woke up again, the sun was high in the sky. Yu Qiao slowly opened her eyes, feeling as though she hadn’t had such a full rest in a very long time.

The person beside her was still sleeping, curled into a ball against her chest. Yu Qiao nudged Xie Bufei’s hand and called out, “Senior, time to get up.”

A few seconds later, Xie Bufei slowly opened her eyes, staring at her dazed for a long while. “What time is it?”

“Almost eleven,” Yu Qiao said. “Get up and eat breakfast.”

Xie Bufei followed behind her like a little tail. The two shuffled into the bathroom together. Yu Qiao prepared the toothbrush and towel for her, then lowered her head to wash her own face.

Looking at Yu Qiao in the mirror, Xie Bufei suddenly said, “Qiaoqiao, good morning.”

“It’s almost noon.” Yu Qiao looked up, water droplets sliding down her cheeks.

Xie Bufei didn’t answer, her lips curving into a beaming smile. She looked to be in an exceptionally good mood. She had always wanted to wake up with Yu Qiao and say those words; it felt like a special ritual.

After finishing breakfast, they sat in the living room watching TV for a while. At midday, Gu Cuilan walked through the door right on time, carrying several plastic bags of groceries.

Yu Qiao stood up to help carry them into the kitchen. Xie Bufei hurried to grab a few bags as well and followed them in.

“Thank you, girls,” Gu Cuilan said with a gentle smile. “Qiaoqiao and I will handle lunch. Xiaofei, you’re a guest, go sit in the living room for a bit.”

Xie Bufei nodded and obediently stepped out, leaving Yu Qiao in the kitchen. She rolled up her sleeves and began washing the vegetables with practiced ease.

As she washed them, Yu Qiao looked up and noticed Gu Cuilan watching her with a meaningful look.

Confused, Yu Qiao asked, “Mom?”

“Qiaoqiao, tell me the truth.” Gu Cuilan paused before asking, “Is Xiaofei just your friend, or is she your girlfriend?”

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