She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Super Sweet — If You Don’t Tell Me, I’ll Punish You! Then Punish Me…

Night had fallen deeply by the time the car reached the neighborhood. Lu Shuyu’s emotions had mostly stabilized. During the thirty-minute drive, she had continuously replayed everything from the hospital ward in her mind, allowing her to catch a tiny detail.

When they entered the room, Song Yi had been staring out the window; when she announced her decision to be a “good mother,” her gaze had flickered toward the window again.

She looked like a bird that was forced—or perhaps temporarily choosing—to be trapped in a cage.

Does a temporary pause in life have to be the final word? Does it represent the future forever? Lu Shuyu believed that for many, it wouldn’t—and for Song Yi, it certainly wouldn’t.

Thinking of this, she looked down and gently smoothed the wrinkles on the proposal papers. Her mind was made up. “Teacher’s idea is very good,” she said.

Hearing this, Xia Leshuang gave a soft smile. “Then we’ll do it.”

And use it to ‘lure’ Song Yi back out. They didn’t say the second half aloud, but they exchanged a knowing glance, understanding each other perfectly.

“We’re home.” Xia Leshuang turned the steering wheel, preparing to enter the complex.

“Wait—” Lu Shuyu suddenly cut her off. Simultaneously, a phone rang inside the car.

At that moment, a person stepped out of a black business van parked nearby. Holding a phone to their ear, they looked toward their car.

It was an esteemed guest.

Lu Shuyu immediately went into a state of high alert. Compared to Xia Leshuang’s heroic aura, Xu Ruyue’s appearance and temperament were gentler, yet more resilient. One thing, in particular, was strikingly similar: their eyes.

Xu Ruyue boarded their car with perfect composure. Looking through the rearview mirror, Lu Shuyu met those familiar yet strange eyes. For a moment, it felt like she was looking at a middle-aged version of Xia Leshuang.

“Teacher Xu,” Lu Shuyu greeted her quickly.

Xu Ruyue smiled slightly. “Director Lu, I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

Hearing that phrase—even knowing it was a polite formality—made Shuyu’s scalp tingle. Out of the corner of her eye, she peeked at Xia Leshuang’s expression. The latter likely sensed her nerves and reached over to squeeze her hand.

!

It was brief; before Shuyu could even react, the hand was gone. But a soft chuckle sounded from the backseat—Xu Ruyue had clearly seen it. Lu Shuyu broke into a cold sweat.

Earlier, when Xu Ruyue walked toward them and tapped on the glass, Xia Leshuang had surprisingly been the one to lower the window. Her expression had been calm, devoid of tension or even surprise.

“You’re here,” Xia Leshuang had said. Just a simple “You”—distant, yet respectful.

“Would you invite me up to sit for a while?” Xu Ruyue was even more poised. Standing under the moonlight and the hazy yellow streetlights, her elegance looked like a scene from a movie.

When Xia Leshuang turned to seek her opinion, Lu Shuyu naturally wouldn’t say no.

As the three of them got out of the car, Shuyu discreetly observed the atmosphere between mother and daughter. It was peaceful. Although there was a sense of unfamiliarity, one could still feel the unique connection shared by a mother and child.

“Careful,” Xia Leshuang turned on her phone flashlight to light the ground, raising her other hand. “The ground is uneven.”

Xu Ruyue smiled and rested her hand on her daughter’s arm. “Thank you.”

It was almost heartwarming. Lu Shuyu’s defensiveness began to dissipate, replaced by more nervousness and a touch of bashfulness. She gritted her teeth silently: How is this any different from meeting the parents?!

They took the elevator in silence to the 20th floor. As soon as the doors opened, Shuyu jogged ahead to open the door.

“Please come in, Teacher Xu. Would you like something to drink?” “Thank you, just water is fine.”

After placing two glasses of water on the coffee table, Shuyu prepared to leave, but was called back. “Director Lu, you sit too.”

Startled, Shuyu gave an “Ah” and sat down beside Xia Leshuang.

“You look well,” Xia Leshuang began.

Xu Ruyue nodded and sighed softly. “When you stop overthinking certain things, your complexion naturally improves.” Although she sighed, there was no heaviness in her eyes; instead, there was the lightness of someone who had suddenly found clarity.

Lu Shuyu watched quietly, realizing that the Xu Ruyue before her was indeed different from the one she saw on screen. The faint bitterness often described as “a sense of story” in her eyes had vanished.

She didn’t know the specifics of what had transpired between them, but she remembered that at the last victory banquet, Xu Ruyue had not accompanied Xia Ye. That at least proved they weren’t on the same side, and her relationship with Leshuang wasn’t as dire as imagined.

“You two seem to be doing well,” Xu Ruyue looked at them with a smile, then glanced around the room. “It’s very cozy.”

“Yes,” Xia Leshuang replied. “Shuyu and I are very good.”

Lu Shuyu felt a warmth on her hand. Xu Ruyue’s gaze landed on her. Though her instinct was to look away, Shuyu endured it and gently gripped Leshuang’s hand back. “Yes, we are very good.”

The imagined scene of parental opposition didn’t happen. Xu Ruyue smiled and sighed, “I didn’t expect that after ten years of twisting and turning, you two would still end up together.”

“Le… Shuang—” She tried out the name tentatively, sounding unfamiliar with it. Xia Leshuang’s eyes suddenly reddened.

“Ms. Xia truly chose a good name.” Xu Ruyue looked over, her gaze complex. “Leshuang, you’ve grown up. I can finally be at peace.”

This visit had been requested by Xia Ye, but Xu Ruyue had simply used it as an opportunity. Years ago, she met Xia Ye during a low-budget film; she thought it was the mutual appreciation of two unrecognized talents, but she was just a “tool” that happened to fit his requirements. Both she and Xia Leshuang were tools in his careful schemes.

“I’ve been waiting all these years. Waiting for you to grow up, waiting for you to break free. And finally, waiting for a perfect chance to withdraw completely.” Xu Ruyue shook her head. “But unfortunately, I never found that chance.”

“However, fortunately,” she looked at Lu Shuyu, “you produced Gold. I saw different women, different setbacks, and different lives. The blurred, uncertain idea in my heart finally became clear. Life will never be perfect, and opportunities don’t come to those who just wait.”

Xu Ruyue gave a bright smile. “If I kept waiting, my life might have ended before I ever started living it.” She was going to be “selfish” and pursue her own life. “Leshuang, I’m sorry. I wasn’t a good mother. But I don’t regret it; I also hope for your happiness.”

…

Xia Leshuang walked her downstairs. They walked in silence to the business van.

“You’ve already done very well,” Xia Leshuang said suddenly.

Xu Ruyue paused as she was about to get in. She looked back and met those eyes that were so like her own. It was like seeing her twenty-year-old self.

“I know it was you who helped me leave back then. You didn’t say it, and I didn’t mention it, but I knew. Because I had your love, I was able to walk firmly to where I am today.” Xia Leshuang smiled softly and reached out. “Ms. Xu Ruyue, I look forward to your brilliant life ahead.”

After nearly twenty years of distance, mother and daughter hugged once more.

…

Hearing footsteps outside, Lu Shuyu stood up from the sofa, her chaotic thoughts coming to a halt. “Is Teacher Xu gone?” she asked.

Xia Leshuang nodded, changed her shoes, and walked over to wrap her in a long hug. They didn’t pull apart for a long time.

“Tsk tsk,” Lu Shuyu laughed. “This is the first time I’ve realized the benefit of being shorter than you.” She pulled the “little crybaby” back to the sofa and handed her a tissue.

Xia Leshuang laughed through her tears. “Then you’re in trouble. You can’t pretend you didn’t see me cry from now on.”

“Huh?” Lu Shuyu frowned, confused by the logic. Then her eyes widened. “Am I that much of a scumbag in your eyes?!”

Xia Leshuang arched an eyebrow. “Maybe. That’s how it’s written in those novels, anyway.”

Lu Shuyu slapped her forehead, remembering similar plots from the audio dramas she’d heard. “Teacher Xia, promise me, stop reading those ‘angsty love’ novels, okay?” She leaned in close, feigning offense. “Am I not sweet enough?”

…Since she was already this close, it would be impolite not to kiss her. Xia Leshuang quickly dipped her head and pecked her cheek.

!

Lu Shuyu immediately recoiled.

“Sweet,” Xia Leshuang laughed. “Super sweet.”

“You… you…” Shuyu stammered with a red face for a while before giving up. “Fine! Since you kissed me, you have to confess everything honestly!” She was confused by the conversation between the two earlier, and seeing Leshuang return crying with joy made her even more curious.

Xia Leshuang smiled brightly and nodded. “Okay. But let me think where to start.”

“From the very beginning!” Lu Shuyu commanded.

Xia Leshuang followed her lead and began from her earliest memories. “I was raised by my grandmother. Most of my impressions of my mother were imagined from Grandma’s descriptions. When I was eight, I did a parent-child variety show with Xia Ye. When the cameras weren’t rolling, she was the one with me. She would hug me and coax me to sleep. She was clumsy, but very gentle. I knew from then on that she loved me. Back then, she occasionally called me ‘Yue-yue,’ but after Xia Ye corrected her, she always called me ‘Pang Yue.'”

“When I was ten, she finally won Best Actress, but it coincided with my grandmother’s passing. My name was changed, and my life was turned upside down. She stopped hugging me, stopped smiling at me. She demanded I be excellent and not disappoint her. In contrast, Xia Ye focused on playing the ‘doting father,’ but his ‘love’ was so fake it was easily exposed.”

“Until before the Spring Festival,” Xia Leshuang looked over. “Bian Xingyao was forced out of the closet and pulled me down with her in her panic.”

Lu Shuyu had been listening intently, but she froze at this part. “So, that year, your sudden disappearance…”

Xia Leshuang took her hand and nodded. “Yes. But let’s not talk about that today, okay?” They still had their “City S” agreement and many other things to talk about together.

Lu Shuyu nodded and squeezed her hand back.

“But I overheard her arguing with Xia Ye, and I vaguely understood that she was enduring and waiting. Later, when I moved to City B, I lived under constant surveillance. My ID was withheld, and my phone was registered by Xia Ye so he could track my location. Near graduation, Xia Ye forced me to go on blind dates. I tried to resist by offering to leave the house with nothing. It happened to be when Xia Ye was planning to market a ‘star couple.’ She used that to get him to loosen his grip. After my blind date failed, I got my ID and left with nothing.”

“I was penniless then, and she helped me again. Although it was handled through others, I secretly tested it and knew it was her. Before Silence of Gold, Xia Ye barely bothered me because he was certain I wouldn’t make a splash without him. But he didn’t expect me to rise, so he started using her to pressure me to return.”

Lu Shuyu realized she was talking about the previous incident. “Why didn’t Teacher Xu—” She didn’t finish, but Leshuang understood.

“I didn’t want her to,” Xia Leshuang shook her head. “As long as she couldn’t break away from Xia Ye, if I gave in once, there would be a million times. She and I were like two sides of a scale; the weights were in Xia Ye’s hands, and he held the power. But,” Leshuang smiled, “I had signed with President Min by then, didn’t I? I was gambling that she would help me.”

Lu Shuyu remembered Min Wutong saying Xia Leshuang was one of the first to sign.

“It’s just,” Xia Leshuang pursed her lips slightly, “I didn’t expect you to come too.” She had seen her in such a pathetic state.

Lu Shuyu gripped her hand until it turned slightly red. “Hmph! If it weren’t for that time, you wouldn’t have been honest with me.”

“True.” Xia Leshuang nodded, obediently handing over her other hand for Shuyu to vent on.

“So I know everything that happened after that?” Lu Shuyu couldn’t bring herself to actually hurt her; she just held her hands.

Xia Leshuang nodded, then remembered something else. “There is one more related thing I haven’t told you.”

“Hmm?” Lu Shuyu leaned in. “Tell me.”

“In high school, I saw you and Teacher Lu bickering many times. I really envied your relationship—you were mother and daughter, but also like friends and comrades-in-arms.”

Lu Shuyu’s grip loosened. She frowned and leaned back, looking suspicious. “You didn’t… you didn’t like me just because you liked Teacher Lu, right?!”

?!

Xia Leshuang’s eyes widened in shock. She was speechless for a long time before gritting out: “What on earth are you talking about!”

Lu Shuyu let out a long “Oh~” and leaned back in, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. “Then what was the reason?” Her voice rose at the end like a soft hook—not sharp, but very ticklish.

Xia Leshuang pursed her lips, fighting a smile. “I’m not telling you.”

Lu Shuyu sat up straight, then suddenly lunged forward and planted a kiss squarely on her mouth. She pulled back just an inch, looking ready to strike again. “Are you going to tell me or not?”

The move was so fast and direct that Xia Leshuang was stunned. Her face turned red for a long time before she whispered: “No.”

The face that was inches away leaned in again. A soft touch and hot breath flooded over her and then retreated.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll punish you?” Lu Shuyu narrowed her eyes playfully, her voice laced with a “threat.”

Xia Leshuang leaned in a fraction closer, almost touching, creating a teasing, tingling sensation.

“Then punish me.”