She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 27

“So, will you stay with me forever?” (Grieved + Resentful)

Shi Shuxue pushed open the door and saw Chi Yeyu still sitting in the chair opposite her. She had simply moved all her work documents and laptop into Shuxue’s room, seemingly intending to handle her office work while keeping watch over her.

Unable to bear it any longer, Shuxue used one hand to push Chi Yeyu chair and all out of the room. Chi Yeyu hopped down to argue her case, and the two of them spoke at cross-purposes for a while, but in the end, it was Shuxue’s victory.

“Do you really want me to leave that badly?” Chi Yeyu said, looking pitiful. “What will you do at home alone without me? How will you drink water? How will you eat? How will you bathe?”

Even though she would only be gone for a day or two, Chi Yeyu was making a scene as if it were a life and death separation. Shi Shuxue replied coldly, “I can drink water myself, the housekeeper will handle the cooking, and I won’t bathe.”

“Right, your wound can’t touch water; definitely don’t bathe. If you need to wash your hair or wipe down, wait until I get back. The housekeeper will be here soon to make lunch. I’ve told her to keep it light.” Chi Yeyu was escorted all the way to the entryway, lingering reluctantly. “Then I’m going. I’ll be back soon! Be good at home.”

Fearing she would delay Chi Yeyu’s business, Shi Shuxue said mercilessly, “Just go.”

Chi Yeyu glanced at a corner of the living room ceiling and mused, “I really should install a surveillance camera. That way, I could see you at all times and even talk to you.”

Shi Shuxue: “You are not allowed to install one.”

Chi Yeyu clicked her tongue in regret and left.

After Chi Yeyu left, the massive space became exceptionally silent. Shi Shuxue had grown used to a noisy environment, with no one talking in her ear, she felt a bit unaccustomed. It was as if her senses had been magnified several times, the dull ache beneath the gauze throbbed, like a playful finger plucking at her nerves.

She pulled out a box of painkillers and took one with water. She could act calm when Chi Yeyu was hovering around, but now that she was gone, she couldn’t keep up the act. After the medicine kicked in, she lay sickly by the edge of the bed, scrolling through her phone.

She used to have no interest in phones, but now, the moment she was idle, she wanted to check a few specific apps specifically, the Super Topic for Chi Yeyu’s band.

The band’s account was managed by Tiangua. Their last performance had been at a music festival at the beginning of the month. Fans in the comments were urging them to livestream their daily lives or release merchandise. Chi Yeyu’s fans were particularly numerous.

It wasn’t that the fans were impatient; it was just that Chi Yeyu’s “fan service” was far too rare. Li Lingling would share her three meals and campus life every day, even posting a rant if someone cut her in line for fried squid. Yu Xiu uploaded short videos of himself singing in bars every few days, occasionally getting a minor viral hit to draw traffic. Although Tiangua didn’t actively share his life, he frequently appeared in Yu Xiu’s videos, so he never felt “missing.”

Shi Shuxue hadn’t noticed Chi Yeyu’s charm before because her personality was too flighty and absurd her daily behavior was so bizarre it often overshadowed her physical attractiveness. But after spending more time together, those subtle traits began to emerge, the unique characteristics that belonged only to Chi Yeyu.

After dinner, Shi Shuxue messaged her grandmother’s caregiver to check on her condition. Feeling relieved, she picked up a book and leaned against the bed to read. She had stayed home all day. The housekeeper had come to cook two meals, but since she was alone, she couldn’t eat much, leaving many leftovers.

She wondered how Chi Yeyu was doing at the Chi family home.

She hadn’t received a single message from Chi Yeyu all day, assuming she was too busy to check. Shi Shuxue stared at the last emoji Chi Yeyu had sent in their chat. After waiting for three or four minutes, she finally brought up the keyboard and typed a few words. Before she could decide what to say, she saw the notification: The other party is typing…

Shi Shuxue quickly deleted her draft. Chi Yeyu sent four words: “Look out your bedroom window.”

Confused, she tilted her head and looked toward the window. Outside, the night was heavy. The city lights wove a scattered net of stars. Occasionally, stray sparks streaked across the sky fireworks from the suburbs, blooming into faint oranges and pinks before dissolving into the thick darkness.

The night breeze drifted through the gaps between buildings, carrying muffled voices. When spending New Year’s Eve alone, one unconsciously amplifies the holiday atmosphere.

Chi Yeyu is playing tricks again, she thought.

Just as Shi Shuxue was considering going to the living room to turn on the TV for the New Year’s gala, a streak of fire suddenly pierced the night sky with a sharp whoosh.

The moment she looked up, a massive ice-blue firework exploded in the center of the sky. Countless points of light scattered like a meteor shower, filling Shuxue’s pupils entirely with radiance.

The firework bloomed right outside her window, so close it felt as if it would crash into her bedroom, so large it filled the entire view, pushing the darkness of the horizon to the very edges of her vision.

Before the blue faded, a second and third followed. Pale gold light surged into the sky, with trails of burning orange patterns. They draped down from the heavens, almost pressing against the low rooftops. As they drifted slowly across the sky, it felt as if she could reach out and pluck a spark, the warm glow made her eyelashes feel hot.

Shi Shuxue unconsciously opened the window, her hands gripping the sill. Chilly air slipped under her collar. As the third firework rose, her vision could no longer hold any other scenery.

A gradient of pink and white bloomed. The outer layer of cherry pink stretched meters wide, while the warm yellow center looked like a burning sun. The trails of light looked like countless warm white butterflies fluttering against the glass. The frost on the window melted from her body heat, trickling down in small water marks.

Shi Shuxue leaned out to look down. Her gaze swept past the windowsill and caught sight of a figure running toward her. She froze. The heiress, who was supposed to be at the Chi family’s banquet, had run to the bottom of her building. She was looking up at Shuxue’s window, her hair flying in the wind. Her light amber cat-like eyes were bright with a smile that could overturn the world, and above her head was the lingering glow of the fading sparks.

“How is it? Do you like it?” Chi Yeyu’s voice carried a laugh, as if she were certain Shi Shuxue would cherish this surprise.

Shi Shuxue didn’t say a word. Her dark eyes gazed down at her. After a moment, she asked, “…Why are you back?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it fell clearly into Chi Yeyu’s ears. The latter’s eyes were burning bright and honest, “I slipped away while they weren’t paying attention!”

Escaped?

Shi Shuxue’s eyelashes trembled. She called out, “Then come inside quickly.”

As the embers of the fireworks faded, Chi Yeyu showed a flash of white teeth and smiled brilliantly. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Shi Shuxue didn’t even put on a coat as she rushed down to greet her. Chi Yeyu brought a wave of cold air in with her. Her cheeks were red. She first complained about being “frozen to the point of burning,” then noticed Shuxue was dressed thinly and hurried her away from the entryway.

Shi Shuxue asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Only a few bites of food, but I drank a lot of wine,” Chi Yeyu said. “My stomach is full of alcohol right now. If you held me by my legs and poured me out, I’d fill a whole pot.”

She patted her stomach jokingly. Shi Shuxue ignored the antics and turned to the fridge for the leftovers. The housekeeper, thinking Shuxue would be lonely, had made a large spread. Shuxue hadn’t moved much today and had barely eaten, it was perfect for feeding Chi Yeyu.

As the dishes were heated one by one, Chi Yeyu stood by the microwave and oven, beaming. “Little Snow, you saved so much! You really do have me in your heart!”

She usually got hyper for no reason, but tonight she was exceptionally high-spirited. A faint scent of alcohol drifted around her. She didn’t act like an adult, but rather a mischievous teenager.

Shi Shuxue knew she was drunk. She sat calmly opposite her, watching her eat, and asked, “Is it really okay that you ran away?”

Chi Yeyu ate with uncharacteristic elegance and replied, “It’s fine. This year is a bit different. Does your wound still hurt?”

“It’s much better,” Shuxue said.

Chi Yeyu asked again, “Do you like the fireworks?”

She hadn’t received a proper answer downstairs and was persistent.

“Were they prepared specifically for me?” Shuxue asked.

Chi Yeyu replied, “Of course! Otherwise, would it be a free firework show for the whole district?”

Shi Shuxue lowered her head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The tips of her ears turned a rosy hue, though her voice remained steady: “Oh. I liked them quite a bit.”

“As long as you like them!” Chi Yeyu didn’t notice the change in her expression. She had expected the girl to scold her with a cold face, getting a “liked them” was already quite an achievement.

After finishing her meal happily, Chi Yeyu got up to clear the dishes. Coming out of the kitchen and rounding the sofa, she saw Shi Shuxue playing with her phone, seemingly editing some text. She glanced over casually, it was the Weibo interface. “What are you posting? You use Weibo too?”

Unexpectedly, Shi Shuxue was startled. She quickly locked her screen, and in her haste, the phone slipped and landed on her lap.

This nervous behavior clearly signaled a secret. Chi Yeyu narrowed her eyes and leaned over the back of the sofa. “Is there something I’m not allowed to see?”

Shi Shuxue countered, “Is there anything you are allowed to see?”

“Does it have something to do with me?” Chi Yeyu didn’t care much about protecting a teenager’s privacy. Seeing Shuxue’s subtle shift in expression, she guessed, “Are you posting on Weibo to curse me?”

“How could I be cursing you?”

“Then why won’t you show me?” Chi Yeyu found it strange and reached out to grab the phone. Since Shuxue was still injured, she instinctively tried to protect it, but the movement tugged at her wound, causing her to hiss in pain.

Chi Yeyu immediately stopped. “I won’t look. Don’t move around recklessly.”

Shi Shuxue, having “faked” the extent of the pain to stop her, explained, “I wasn’t cursing you. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Fine, fine. Shi Shuxue has her own little secrets now.” Chi Yeyu curled her lip, gave up the chase, and headed upstairs.

The alcohol was starting to hit her hard. She felt like a puppet pulled by strings as she dazedly washed up and showered. After setting her alarm for the next day, her eyelids snapped shut, and she fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time perhaps one sleep cycle, she opened her eyes slightly in a half-asleep state. She realized someone was standing by her bed, staring at her.

The bedroom was dim. The figure was a blur. In her haze, a thought flashed through Chi Yeyu’s mind: Shi Shuxue has even entered my dreams. Through the fog of the dream, she heard a calm yet seemingly aggrieved voice ask:

“Will you stay with me forever?”

Chi Yeyu couldn’t stand hearing Shuxue speak to her in that tone. Without thinking, her lips moved, and she replied incoherently, “I’ll stay… even after I die, I’ll cling to the back of your shoulder.”

After the Lunar New Year, the spring and summer semesters arrived quickly. Chi Yeyu bought a pile of beautiful clothes for Shi Shuxue, but Shuxue mostly wore the school-issued light blue short-sleeved uniform. Every time Chi Yeyu came home, she would nag about wanting to see a different version of Shuxue. Shuxue would simply say she’d consider it after graduation.

“Graduation is too far away! High school youth is still youth,” Chi Yeyu said lazily, lying on the sofa and playing with Shuxue’s hair. she casually braided it into a three-strand braid, but soon complained it was too short to braid further back.

The summer was hot, and Shuxue found her hair annoying, even considering cutting it short. Wearing thin shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, she sat on the rug doing her summer homework. After finishing a workbook, she stood up, the white skin of her thighs momentarily covered by the shifting fabric.

Chi Yeyu, looking like she had no bones, slumped on the sofa and propped her chin on her hand, watching Shuxue’s legs. The skin was porcelain-white, the shape slender and straight, with a small mole at the back of her knee.

She lightly poked it. Shi Shuxue flinched, her voice trembling with irritation. “What are you doing?!”

Chi Yeyu loved seeing her lose her cool. She smiled. “Hmm? I didn’t do anything. Was it a mosquito? You should put on some floral water later.”

“Since when are there mosquitoes in this house?” Shuxue asked. She turned back to look at the “big mosquito” on the sofa, her brows furrowed, she looked much more lively than usual. “Aren’t you going to work today?”

“Heavens, I’ve been working at the company for over a month straight without a break. Are you the legendary evil slave owner? Even my employees get time off!” Chi Yeyu cried out in mock shock.

Shi Shuxue didn’t bother responding, her finger scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, a fine itch crawled up her inner thigh. She instinctively bent her knee to look, there was a mosquito bite. “There really is a mosquito.”

“Really?” Chi Yeyu looked over. On that delicate skin was a small, pale red spot, slightly swollen from the bite. It had turned a deeper red after Shuxue scratched it.

That mosquito certainly knew where to pick right on the tender skin. Chi Yeyu went to find the floral water. “Don’t wear such short pants when you go out. Same for skirts. Even with long skirts, wear safety pants.”

Shi Shuxue said, “I only wear long pants to school.”

Chi Yeyu found the bottle from last summer and dabbed some on her finger to apply it. The area felt cool and tingly. Chi Yeyu rubbed it in gently, warning, “Don’t scratch it open.”

Shi Shuxue gave a soft “Oh.”

Chi Yeyu stood up and scrutinized her. “Did you grow taller? In my memory, you only reached my chin.”

Shi Shuxue had never been that short. She didn’t know where Chi Yeyu got that persistent delusion. “Maybe I grew. I was 163cm at the last physical.”

Chi Yeyu said, “That’s quite tall. At this rate, you’ll pass me next year.”

Shi Shuxue couldn’t imagine how she would grow ten centimeters in a year. Assuming it was more nonsense, she changed the subject. “There’s a parent-teacher meeting when school starts. Is it convenient for you to go for me? If not, forget it.”

Since the beginning of the year, Chi Yeyu had been as busy as a spinning top. Shuxue often didn’t see her when she got home, and Chi Yeyu’s appearances at band rehearsals had dwindled. She asked without much expectation, already having thought of an excuse to give her teacher.

“It’s convenient,” Chi Yeyu said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Didn’t I say so? Your matters are the most important.”