She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 7

“I’m live streaming!!!”

Her gaze seemed to reach the depths of the soul, leaving Shi Shuxue unable to move.

Shi Shuxue was not the type to enjoy causing trouble for others; her greatest skill was drawing clear boundaries. Faced with Chi Yeyu’s “grafted” passion, her only instinct was to dodge.

From start to finish, she understood that everything Chi Yeyu did for her stemmed from Chi’s past friendship with Shi Xianyu. It had nothing to do with Shi Shuxue herself. She and Chi Yeyu were effectively strangers who had known each other for less than 24 hours.

Yet, Chi Yeyu told her to try trusting her. If those words had come from Shi Xianyu, she would have certainly scoffed that woman, with whom she shared a direct blood relation, was completely untrustworthy. And Chi Yeyu, who was so closely associated with Shi Xianyu, was an eccentric even more unreliable than Shi Xianyu herself.

She shouldn’t hand over her trust.

Gratitude was one thing; she would keep a record of every cent Chi Yeyu spent on her and her grandmother, intending to repay it with interest once she started working. But that was a separate matter from what Chi Yeyu wanted from her.

Shi Shuxue could not accept the benefits Chi Yeyu brought with a clear conscience.

She gazed quietly at Chi Yeyu, a rare moment of direct eye contact. Chi Yeyu’s earring was so bright, and today’s sunlight was so piercing, that her eyes felt a bit sore from the glare.

A smile hung on Chi Yeyu’s lips. Her pupils were like high-purity gemstones, flickering with a bright, pure, and sincere light.

“…Okay,” Shi Shuxue replied in a low tone.

Facing that beautiful face full of expectation, she simply couldn’t voice a refusal.

Moreover, Shi Xianyu never spoke about things like “guardian’s responsibilities.” She never took burdens upon herself, she only threw her own obligations as far away as possible, dodging any potential trouble like a game of dodgeball.

Thinking of it that way… maybe Chi Yeyu was a little better than Shi Xianyu?

Hearing her response, a more brilliant smile blossomed on Chi Yeyu’s face: “In that case, come home with me!”

“What?”

“Actually, I have a rehearsal today. There’s a show tomorrow at a live house near P University. Come home with me to play. I want to introduce you to them,” Chi Yeyu said. “My house is nearby, very close. You could even get there on foot if you didn’t take the car.”

Shi Shuxue realized that the other woman had planned this all along. That long list of places she mentioned earlier was just to lower Shi Shuxue’s psychological defenses so she could more easily achieve her ultimate goal.

As if sensing her inner monologue, Chi Yeyu testified for herself: “If you wanted to go on a world tour, I could skip the show and work right now to accompany you.”

“I’ll pass. Better to be kind to your bandmates,” Shi Shuxue said.

Back in the car, Chi Yeyu tossed her phone to Shi Shuxue with one hand. With the other, she unlocked her own phone and sent a message to the band group chat.

[A Dead Fish Screaming at Death’s Door (4)]

Great Leader: I’m bringing back a surprise for you guys in a bit!!

Melon: [Dog peeking.jpg]

If You Tell Another Bassist Joke You’re Blocked: Hurry back! You’re going to be late!

Yu Xiu: What surprise?

Chi Yeyu glanced sideways at Shi Shuxue, who was looking down at the phone. A strand of hair had fallen, lightly brushing against a section of her neck that looked like white jade.

She replied with another text in the group chat and then started the car.

Great Leader: @If You Tell Another Bassist Joke You’re Blocked, I’m bringing back a surpriseeeeeee. It’ll keep you guys screaming for three minutes.

If You Tell Another Bassist Joke You’re Blocked: Don’t change the subject!!

If You Tell Another Bassist Joke You’re Blocked: Wait.

If You Tell Another Bassist Joke You’re Blocked: What exactly are you bringing back??? Make yourself clear.

Melon: I think it’s probably a “scare” rather than a “surprise.”

In a classroom on the third floor of the teaching building, Xu Qiaoli had just finished a set of exam papers. She stood up to get some materials from the bookshelf at the back of the room. Her peripheral vision caught the window, and she saw two people one tall and one short, getting into a conspicuous SUV.

“Shi Shuxue?” she murmured involuntarily.

Ci Cheng, who happened to be nearby, caught her voice and asked, “Who did you say?”

“Ah, Class Monitor. I was saying I saw Shi Shuxue downstairs.” Xu Qiaoli was a bit surprised that Ci Cheng had initiated a conversation; she thought she had upset her during the last break.

Ci Cheng followed the direction of her finger. The car was driving away from the school, leaving only its dark rear in view.

“That car she got into is a Lexus. That model isn’t cheap,” Xu Qiaoli said softly. “I didn’t realize the ‘Academic God’ was that wealthy. I used to think…”

Ci Cheng asked, “You recognize it?”

“I don’t know much about cars, I just happen to know the brand. After all, I won’t be buying one,” Xu Qiaoli said.

Ci Cheng stood in the aisle for a few seconds until a classmate passing behind her gave a polite call, prompting her to step aside.

She was thinking about the woman she had seen earlier who claimed to be Shi Shuxue’s guardian. From that brief exchange, she could sense the woman’s thoroughly wicked temperament like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, dragging Shi Shuxue away in a manner that brooked no refusal.

Shi Shuxue, why do you have a guardian like that?

On the other side, Chi Yeyu had already brought Shi Shuxue to her home.

She closed the car door and spread her arms with great interest, introducing the villa in front of them to Shi Shuxue:

“This is my house! I usually live here alone, but the band lot comes here to rehearse. When they’re done, they like to linger and refuse to leave, so I specially set up quite a few places for them to mess around in.”

Shi Shuxue looked up at the cream-colored duplex before her, and a sudden surge of resistance rose in her heart.

For Chi Yeyu to use the word “mess around”… just how terrifying were her bandmates?

Seeing her standing there as motionless as a scarecrow, Chi Yeyu took her hand and led her inside.

“They’re all in the basement rehearsal room right now. Quick, help me think of how I should introduce you! How can I give them a sense of shock that breaks all conventions?”

Shi Shuxue’s expression remained blank. “Please introduce me like a normal person.”

When they opened the front door, the living room was unexpectedly tidy. A black hoodie with the band’s logo was tossed onto a beige sofa in the distance, and a glass vase with artificial flowers sat on the coffee table.

The only thing that stood out was a massive aquarium placed against the wall. A few aquatic plants swayed gently with the circulating current, and a few seashells were scattered across the white sand at the bottom. The filtration system was humming along, but strangely, there wasn’t a single sign of a fish in the water.

Shi Shuxue couldn’t help but stop to look.

“What are you looking at?” Chi Yeyu tossed her keys aside and noticed Shi Shuxue’s gaze. “When I first moved in, I bought a tank of expensive goldfish. As it turned out, our bassist gave every single fish a name and took ‘caring’ care of them, saying the fish represented the soul of our band. In the end, someone, no one knows who poured in too much fish food, and the whole tank ended up belly-up.”

The soul of their band had completely croaked. The key issue was that no one would admit to it. Chi Yeyu was firmly convinced it was the work of her bassist, Li Lingling. Li Lingling, unable to defend herself, was so furious she jumped up and down, threatening to install security cameras over the fish tank.

Chi Yeyu said with certainty, “It was definitely Li Lingling. Even if it wasn’t her, it was her.”

A few minutes ago, Shi Shuxue had looked up the band’s info on the car. Their name was “Screaming Goldfish.” There were currently four members: a drummer, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a guitarist/vocalist, all young women. Their social media accounts had over a hundred thousand followers, they were somewhat famous.

A group photo of the band members sat atop the fish tank. The colors of their hair were vibrant and chaotic, making it clear they were a rowdy bunch. It made the empty fish tank look like a silent spectator.

Shi Shuxue said softly, “With you guys being so loud, you don’t really need a few fish to make up the numbers.”

“Hmm? Are you comforting me?” Chi Yeyu tilted her head in surprise and reached out with a grin to pinch Shi Shuxue’s cheek, though the latter turned away to dodge. “I didn’t expect little Xue to comfort me. I’m so moved, boohoo.”

She relentlessly tried to pinch again, but Shi Shuxue kept a stiff little face and said, “Stop messing around. Let’s go down. Your teammates are waiting for you.”

Her tone was flat and her voice held no ripples, it sounded like she was rushing Chi Yeyu to go straight to hell.

“Fine, fine. It seems our little Xue can’t wait to meet those enthusiastic and gentle big sisters.”

The underground rehearsal room was an open space with a ceiling nearly five meters high. The walls were treated with sound-absorbing cotton and covered in dark gray velvet. A few adjustable spotlights were embedded in the corners, focusing their light on the center of the room.

“Why isn’t Chi Yeyu here yet?” Li Lingling set down her bass, grabbed a bottle of iced mineral water from the fridge, downed half of it in one go, screwed the cap back on, and tossed it impatiently onto the coffee table.

Yu Xiu, who had been flipping through sheet music, glanced up. “What, are you actually looking forward to the ‘surprise’ Chi Yeyu is bringing?”

“Nonsense!!” Li Lingling reacted violently, the words popping out of her mouth.

“Lingling, I’m live-streaming,” their keyboardist reminded her softly.

She was holding a phone, the lens pointed at Li Lingling, as the comments in the stream slid by one after another.

[Hahahaha Lingling, stay calm, stay calm.]

[You can tell she’s been traumatized by our Goddess Chi…]

[I’m curious what surprise Chi-God has prepared.]

[Curious +1]

[Curious +10086! Argh, what kind of tricks is this damn romantic woman going to pull now?]

The day before a performance, Tiangua who was responsible for managing the band’s accounts, usually started a live stream to give the fans a “benefit” by showing their rehearsal routine.

Seeing the comments, Tiangua reminded them gloomily, “I advise you not to hold too much expectation. The last surprise she brought us was a box of glowing screaming chickens, saying she was going to throw them into the audience during the climax of the show.”

A massive wave of “hahahas” flooded the chat.

[Unexpectedly reasonable…]

[Hahahaha that is exactly something that woman would do.]

[So why didn’t she throw them in the end!! One star review!]

Yu Xiu suddenly asked, “Did you tell Chi Yeyu you were streaming?”

“I told her before. She’s not an idiot,” Tiangua said.

Right on cue, the elevator display lit up with numbers. Someone was coming down.

Tiangua thoughtfully pointed the camera at the elevator doors. “Your Goddess Chi… is here.”

The car stopped at the basement level. As the doors slowly slid open, Chi Yeyu’s cheerful voice rang out:

“Let me show you my kid!”

Tiangua, who was currently streaming: “!!!”