The Cold Heroine Turned Into a Yandere After Being - Chapter 20

I Have Even More Scoundrelly Things I Want to Do

Mo Zhu’s words carried a blatant teasing tone. Her breath brushed against the sensitive side of Ji Shubai’s neck, triggering a subtle shiver in the other woman.

It was only at this moment that Ji Shubai realized what she had done she hadn’t just proactively chased after her, she had even. so lost her composure as to hug her tightly.

In the darkness, her cheeks heated up rapidly. This feeling of having nowhere to hide made her feel embarrassed, but fortunately, the night became her best disguise.

She loosened her arms around Mo Zhu, wanting to retreat and pull away from this overly intimate and heart-fluttering distance.

However, Mo Zhu seemed to have anticipated this.

The wrist that Ji Shubai had originally been holding suddenly twisted. Mo Zhu turned the tables and gripped the other’s wrist instead the pressure wasn’t heavy, yet it carried an unmistakable resolve that wouldn’t allow her to break free.

Her other hand simultaneously slid around Ji Shubai’s waist and back, easily neutralizing her attempt to flee and pulling the two of them close again, even tighter than before.

“Where are you running?” Mo Zhu’s voice was laced with a smile as she feigned surprise. “Wasn’t it Miss Ji herself who threw herself into my arms?”

Her words were pointed, her fingertips even tapping lightly against the other’s back, as if to remind her exactly who it was that had lunged frantically at whom in the dark.

Ji Shubai pursed her lips tightly and turned her head away, trying to avoid this overwhelming proximity. But the darkness, while stripping away sight, amplified touch and hearing.

Every breath from the other person, every minute movement, was clearly discernible.

“I was merely concerned out of basic humanitarianism,” Ji Shubai finally found her voice.

Immediately afterward, Mo Zhu felt the hand that wasn’t being held press against her waist and abdomen, pushing her away with force.

“The power probably tripped. I’ll go find someone to take a look.”

Having passed the stage where her eyes needed to adjust to the dark, Mo Zhu could vaguely trace the contours of the other’s face using the faint light from outside.

At this moment, Ji Shubai had her head turned as if avoiding her gaze and breath, but the movement caused the cold lines of her profile to reveal a soft vulnerability in the gloom, different from her usual self.

Mo Zhu felt a nameless emotion spreading through her heart, something strange and unfamiliar.

She finally gave in, taking a generous step back and releasing her grip. “Let’s go together.”

Ji Shubai seemed a bit slow to react to the sudden release. After a moment, she gave a low “Mm” and turned to head downstairs.

Neither of them had their phones, so they had to rely on their eyes to distinguish the steps.

Mo Zhu looked down carefully at her feet when a hand suddenly reached out in front of her. She looked toward the hand, though she couldn’t see the other’s expression clearly.

The owner of the hand seemed a bit bashful, speaking in a soft voice, “Aren’t you… afraid of the dark?”

Mo Zhu responded with a smile and reached out to take the soft, slightly cool hand. “Then, thank you, Miss Ji.”

Ji Shubai led her down. Her pace wasn’t fast; instead, it held a trace of caution.

Mo Zhu let herself be led, keeping pace. She merely tightened her fingers slightly, making their joined hands fit together more snugly.

Consequently, she clearly felt the hand in hers stiffen instantly, as if even the steps beneath her feet had missed a beat.

Mo Zhu’s lips curled upward silently in the darkness.

When they got downstairs and stepped outside, they realized the power outage wasn’t just limited to their villa—the outside was also pitch black, without a single light in sight.

Not far away, it seemed someone was hurrying toward them.

At this moment, Ji Shubai’s hand was still being held by Mo Zhu. The temperature coming from the fingertips was exceptionally clear in the cool sea breeze.

She moved her fingers slightly, but the other woman acted as if she hadn’t noticed, maintaining the joined position. Her fingers even unconsciously rubbed lightly against the back of Ji Shubai’s hand.

This subtle action caused the panic and ambiguity from the stairwell earlier to quietly spread again, merging with the boundless darkness around them.

Mo Zhu had expected the other to continue pulling her hand away, but to her surprise, there was no further movement.

She glanced sideways at Ji Shubai, her eyebrows arching slightly. The latter merely pursed her lips and reminded her: “Someone’s coming.”

It was a nearby staff member. He explained that the power outage was caused by strong winds tonight, which had blown over trees and damaged power lines, leading to blackouts in parts of the island. There was also a problem with the emergency generator, and repairs would take some time.

After finishing his explanation, the staff member hurried off to the next location.

“It seems to be an act of God, then. Nothing to be done.” After Mo Zhu spoke, she turned back to look at the dark villa.

When the lights were all on, it felt bright and cozy; now, in total darkness, it felt a bit oppressive, like a mouth with countless black openings.

She didn’t want to go back in, so she pulled the woman over to sit on the side-by-side beach chairs by the pool, waiting patiently for the power to return.

Faint voices and hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance likely the staff busy at work—which only made their corner feel exceptionally quiet.

“It looks like it will still be a while.” Mo Zhu looked at the blurred figures running past occasionally and turned her head. “Luckily, with Miss Ji by my side, it doesn’t seem quite so hard to endure.”

Ji Shubai didn’t respond to the teasing, but merely tilted her head slightly toward the direction of Mo Zhu’s voice.

Perhaps because of the blackout, or perhaps because of this sudden isolation from the world, there were none of the messy, complicated trifles here. The tightly wound string in Ji Shubai’s heart quietly loosened a fraction.

“Why are you afraid of the dark?” she asked, voicing the doubt in her heart.

Mo Zhu was stunned for a moment by the question. “Why ask that all of a sudden?”

“Is it inconvenient to say?”

“Not really.” Mo Zhu gazed at the darkness in the distance, her tone casual. “Actually, I’m not exactly ‘afraid’ of the dark. I just don’t like it after being in it for too long.”

“Being in it for too long?” Ji Shubai frowned.

“Yeah,” Mo Zhu propped her head on her hand and looked at Ji Shubai, her tone half-serious, half-joking. “When I was little, I was locked in a dark room and stayed there for quite a long time.”

“Locked up for how long?” Ji Shubai followed up, a hint of tension and worry unconsciously creeping into her voice.

Mo Zhu looked at those eyes that were usually cold, now filled with a different emotion.

“That person” She suddenly laughed, her tone turning light. “Of course I’m lying to you. Where would such a person exist? How is Miss Ji so easy to fool?”

Ji Shubai turned her head away, not really wanting to deal with her, but she still had some doubts in her heart. However, she didn’t press further.

Mo Zhu looked at her profile, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening. She stood up, her high heels making a light sound against the poolside ground.

She suddenly suggested, “Want to go down and play for a bit?”

Ji Shubai shook her head in refusal. “I can’t swim.”

Mo Zhu sat by the edge of the pool, took off her shoes, and dipped her feet into the cool water, swinging them lightly to create a trail of spray. “That’s a pity.”

Ji Shubai suddenly thought of something and looked back at the house. “What time is it? I’m going back to get my phone.”

Mo Zhu propped herself up on her hands, tilting her head and giving a lazy “Mm.”

Ji Shubai had originally wanted to call her mother, but upon getting her phone, she realized the power outage had killed both the internet and the signal.

She had no choice but to return to the poolside.

However, the spot where Mo Zhu had been sitting was now empty.

Only those silver high heels lay lonely by the pool, looking exceptionally abrupt in the dim light.

Ji Shubai’s heart sank violently.

“Mo Zhu?” she called out tentatively, her voice sounding a bit thin in the silent night.

No one answered.

There was only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the faint, natural movement of the pool water.

A nameless panic instantly seized her.

Ji Shubai frowned, looking at the seemingly calm surface of the water. In the darkness, the pool looked deep and murky, like a massive curtain of ink; it was impossible to see what lay beneath.

News reports she had seen before about drownings flooded her mind, making her grow tense.

She half-knelt by the pool, hesitantly reaching her hand toward the surface. However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the water.

A cold, wet hand suddenly shot out from beneath the surface, grabbing Ji Shubai’s extended wrist with pinpoint accuracy.

She had no time to react at all. Her body instantly lost its balance, and she was dragged directly into the pool.

A massive splash erupted.

Icy water instantly surged from all directions, submerged Ji Shubai’s mouth and nose. Panic and shock made her struggle instinctively.

Just then, a warm and soft body rapidly closed in on her beneath the water. Strong arms circled her waist and back, steadily lifting her up and out of the surface.

As Ji Shubai broke the surface, icy droplets rolled down her hair and cheeks. Her heart, over-taxed by the scare, was thumping wildly in her chest.

“Cough, cough. Mo Zhu!!!” She almost growled the other woman’s name through gritted teeth, her voice echoing in this small space.

The culprit, having been scolded, showed not a hint of remorse. Instead, she pushed her luck and held the woman even tighter.

“My apologies for scaring Miss Ji.” They were words of contrition, but there was little apology in her tone, making it impossible to see a shred of sincerity.

“You scound” Ji Shubai’s anger hadn’t faded, but looking into those eyes brimming with laughter, she couldn’t bring herself to finish the insult. She could only glare while silently grinding her teeth.

“Is Miss Ji trying to call me a scoundrel?” Mo Zhu finished the sentence for her.

“So you actually know it yourself!” Ji Shubai glared at her. But because of the commotion just now, the corners of her eyes were slightly flushed and damp; this bit of warning held no deterrent power at all, instead appearing quite pitiable and lovely.

Water droplets continued to slide along their eyes and the bridges of their noses, finally dripping onto the dark surface of the water and spreading in ripples.

Mo Zhu’s arms remained around Ji Shubai’s waist. She tilted her head up slightly; beneath her wet bangs, those laughing eyes were exceptionally bright in the dim light.

“Miss Ji, I have even more scoundrelly things I want to do.”

Mo Zhu tightened her arms, bringing them even closer together. The subtle currents around them swayed gently with the movement.

“Miss Ji,” Mo Zhu lightly rubbed her nose against the other’s, her tone intimate. “Can I collect my payment now?”

Ji Shubai knew the best thing she could do right now was to push the other woman away fiercely. But as she looked down at her, the words stuck in her throat and wouldn’t come out.

Finally, she lowered her drenched, long eyelashes and parted her lips slightly.

“You can.”

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