The Cold Heroine Turned Into a Yandere After Being - Chapter 31

Gnawing

Ji Shubai turned her face away, her lips pressed into a tight line, refusing to speak.

Mo Zhu wasn’t in a hurry. Her gaze wandered leisurely over the other woman’s face. “Miss Ji, if you’re unwilling to call me that, then I’ll have to collect my payment now.”

Only then did Ji Shubai turn back to look at her. “Is your work finished?”

“Yes.” Mo Zhu looked down at her, her scrutinizing gaze making it seem like she was deciding exactly where to start biting.

Ji Shubai felt a prickle of unease and leaned her head back against the sofa. “Then let’s head home early.” She paused, attempting to shift the subject. “Isn’t the cat still at home? What if it’s hungry?”

“There’s an automatic feeder. Don’t worry.” Mo Zhu reached out to brush a stray hair off the bridge of Ji Shubai’s nose.

Ji Shubai opened her mouth to say something else, but Mo Zhu suddenly raised a hand and covered her mouth. She could feel the slight movement of those soft lips against her palm.

“You have two chances to speak,” Mo Zhu said with a smile. “Think carefully before you answer.”

Ji Shubai’s eyes half-closed, her lashes fluttering at the words.

Mo Zhu seemed reluctant to pull her hand away. She rested her palm against the warm side of Ji Shubai’s neck, signaling that she could speak now. “First try.”

Ji Shubai’s lips moved slightly, her expression suggesting she was searching for a loophole. But with Mo Zhu watching her so intently, there was nowhere to run.

She wanted to tell Mo Zhu to back off, but remembering the “rule” just established, she couldn’t say it.

In this silent battle of wills, it was Ji Shubai who eventually yielded. She took a deep breath and offered the answer she found most appropriate.

“Senior.”

Hearing the answer, the smile in Mo Zhu’s eyes deepened. “Wrong.”

How is that wrong? Ji Shubai thought. But just as she was about to explain her reasoning, her mouth was covered again, stifling her voice.

Mo Zhu wasn’t giving her a single opening.

“Miss Ji, you have one chance left.” Mo Zhu leaned in even closer, her nose lightly brushing Ji’s. It looked as if she might kiss her at any second.

Ji Shubai felt a wave of frustration, but Mo Zhu’s palm was still hovering before her lips. She looked up into those smiling eyes, seeing her own reflection mirrored clearly within them.

She had a faint idea of what the answer was supposed to be, but.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, the words seemingly stuck in her throat.

Mo Zhu didn’t rush her. She only drew closer until their noses almost touched.

Seemingly sensing Mo Zhu’s persistence, Ji Shubai closed her eyes. Finally, she squeezed two muffled syllables through her teeth. They were so faint they nearly vanished into the air before they could be heard.

Mo Zhu arched an eyebrow at the sound and tilted her head, bringing her ear closer. “What? I didn’t catch that.”

A lock of her hair tucked behind her ear fell forward, grazing Ji Shubai’s cheek. The latter flinched slightly from the tickle.

Ji Shubai bit her lower lip, the redness creeping up to her ears. Her lips moved. “ister.”

The voice was a bit louder than before, but it still carried a stiff reluctance.

Mo Zhu let out a low laugh, her finger tracing the curve of Ji’s ear. “Could Miss Ji say that a little more clearly?”

Ji Shubai closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if making a monumental decision. “Sister.”

Mo Zhu chuckled, yet her fingers remained at Ji Shubai’s neck, feeling the steady thrum of her pulse.

“Alright, you can get—” Ji Shubai assumed it was over, but the rest of her sentence was swallowed between their lips.

Mo Zhu nipped at the other woman’s soft lower lip, her teeth grazing and gnawing gently. Kneeling on the sofa, she continued to press forward, encroaching on Ji Shubai’s personal space.

Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, Ji Shubai didn’t react at first. She was pinned and kissed for a long while before finally managing to turn her face away during a gap for air, panting.

“You went back on your word?” Her tone wasn’t so much angry as it was filled with a mix of shame and annoyance.

Ignoring the accusation, Mo Zhu leaned back in. “Clearly, it’s because Miss Ji used up both of her chances.”

Ji Shubai’s brow knitted slightly. “Didn’t I call you that already?”

“Call me what?” Mo Zhu gently tilted her face back. “When did I ever say I wanted you to call me ‘Sister’?”

Ji Shubai was momentarily speechless. “Then what else could it be?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be clever, Miss Ji? Figure it out yourself.” Mo Zhu’s finger traced her lips. “Now is my time to collect compensation. It ends whenever you figure it out.”

Mo Zhu’s hand came to rest on her waist. Ji Shubai was wearing a soft, form-fitting undershirt today, and Mo Zhu’s fingertips slid beneath the hem.

She pulled back slightly during the kiss, grazing the damp corners of Ji Shubai’s mouth.

Ji Shubai’s face burned under the attention. “Mo Zhu”

“Wrong.” Mo Zhu’s lips crashed against hers once more.

Ji Shubai’s thoughts began to haze over from the kissing. She instinctively tilted her head back, chasing the warmth, only to have it skillfully pulled away a second later.

Mo Zhu’s diverted kiss landed on her soft earlobe. Her voice was low and seductive as she offered a hint.

“Miss Ji, who am I to you?”

Ji Shubai opened her half-lidded eyes, which were now shimmering with a watery light.

Mo Zhu lightly rubbed against her earlobe a test, and an invitation to speak.

In a place Mo Zhu couldn’t see, Ji Shubai pursed her reddened lips. She said slowly, “Didn’t you want compensation? Do you want to continue or not?”

Mo Zhu froze mid-motion. She lifted her head, her silhouette blocking out the light falling on Ji Shubai’s face.

Seeing the other woman’s evasive attitude, she started to say something but held back. She casually tucked a stray hair behind Ji’s ear. “Yes. Of course I do.”

The kiss that followed lacked its previous tenderness, turning fierce and aggressive instead.

Mo Zhu stopped demanding a “correct” title. Instead, she kissed her with a silent, forceful intensity.

Though Ji Shubai was kissed until she was nearly breathless, she stopped trying to pull away. In her compliance, there seemed to be a faint, undetectable trace of guilt.

It wasn’t until Mo Zhu’s phone on the desk rang persistently for the second time that the “compensation” finally ended.

Mo Zhu propped herself up and stood. She seemed to return to her usual self almost instantly.

She walked over, checked the caller ID, and answered her “dear” father’s call.

On the other end, Mo’s father began by lecturing her on recent company projects before asking about her current living situation.

“Just say whatever you have to say.”

There was a silence on the other end before her father finally revealed his purpose: he wanted her to come home this Friday to meet someone.

Mo Zhu gave him a brief, two-word reply: “I’m busy.”

She hung up immediately, even rejecting the subsequent call he made.

She set the phone down, suppressing the faint irritation in her heart. When she looked back at Ji Shubai, her smile returned. “Miss Ji, let’s go home.”

They arrived home around eight in the evening—neither too early nor too late.

The moment they walked through the door, they began looking for Xiao Ta.

Compared to Mo Zhu, the actual owner, Ji Shubai seemed even more eager to see the cat.

Because she was in a new environment, the cat had hidden. They eventually found her tucked behind the living room curtains.

Xiao Ta stayed curled up, not running away when they approached, simply tilting her head to watch them.

She only let out a soft “Meow” when Mo Zhu picked her up.

Mo Zhu looked at Ji Shubai and offered the cat. “Want to hold her? She has a very good temperament.”

Ji Shubai hesitated, saying she wanted to shower and change first.

Mo Zhu was amazed by her dedication to hygiene and put the cat down to go shower herself.

When she finished, she found that Ji Shubai had been faster. She was already sitting in the living room holding the cat and feeding her freeze-dried treats. Both human and cat were so focused they didn’t even notice her walking over.

“Did you have a cat before, Miss Ji?”

Ji Shubai looked up at the sound of her voice and made some room on the sofa. “I had one at my grandmother’s house when I was a child.”

Mo Zhu sat down. She reached out to pet the cat’s head, but the cat dodged her, snuggling deeper into Ji Shubai’s arms.

Mo Zhu laughed. “She already knows who the real boss of this house is.”

Ji Shubai didn’t respond, continuing to feed the treats with her head lowered.

Mo Zhu’s phone on the table rang again. She picked it up, saw it was her father again, and took the call into the study.

On the other end, her father began by scolding her for the “unfilial” act of hanging up on him. He then ordered her to be home this Friday, even using company shares and her late mother to apply pressure.

“The company isn’t yours alone. My shares were left to me by my mother. You can use her against me once, but that doesn’t mean it will work every time.”

Her father let out a cold laugh. “And what about that woman you’re with? Don’t think I’m completely in the dark.”

Mo Zhu, who had been leaning against the desk, straightened up. Her expression darkened, though her tone remained flippant. “Woman? Which one are you referring to?”

“Don’t play games with me. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Think carefully about whether you’re coming back this Friday.” Her father ended the call with a tone of ultimate victory.

Mo Zhu stared at the disconnected call, her gaze cold.

She woke Xiao Ta from sleep mode. “Will that old man do anything to Ji Shubai?”

In the original plot, Mo’s father never noticed the female lead. This is happening outside the script, so I cannot accurately predict it.

Mo Zhu’s brow furrowed deep. After a long silence, she clicked her tongue. “What a pain.”

She left the study to find Ji Shubai still in the living room with the cat, so she headed to the bedroom first.

Usually, Ji Shubai was the first one in bed, but it seemed things had reversed now that there was a cat.

By eleven o’clock, Ji Shubai still hadn’t come to the room. Mo Zhu had to go to the living room to “capture” her. To her surprise, Xiao Ta followed them like a little shadow.

Whenever Mo Zhu tried to close the door, the cat would meow loudly outside.

As soon as the door opened, the cat would switch back to a soft, high-pitched “baby” meow. Eventually, Ji Shubai gave in and brought the cat inside.

Having lost her say in the matter, Mo Zhu watched from the side, thinking the little creature was quite a pro at acting even better than her.

From that day on, an uninvited guest frequently occupied their bed.

The person Xiao Ta was most attached to wasn’t Mo Zhu, but Ji Shubai.

Mo Zhu had initially worried Ji Shubai might find it suspicious that the cat wasn’t close to its owner, but so far, there were no signs of suspicion.

After all, cats are rarely clingy by nature and can be moody.

The two humans and one cat settled into a routine.

Seeing how much Ji Shubai loved Xiao Ta, Mo Zhu stopped asking her to come to the office, letting her stay home to finish her new freelance work.

Returning home one day, Mo Zhu changed her shoes and put her things down, only to see Xiao Ta in the living room.

She had quite a bit to drink today and was a little unsteady. She took off her coat, walked over, and picked up the cat. “How could Miss Ji have the heart to leave you all alone here today?”

Xiao Ta, seemingly disliking the smell of alcohol, gave a soft “Meow” and tried to wiggle away.

Mo Zhu let out a soft huff and refused to let go, burying her face in the fluffy fur. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a bedroom door opening behind her.

She lifted her head and turned around. The cat took the opportunity to slip from her hands.

Ji Shubai walked out of the bedroom with her phone. Seeing the cat run to her feet, she leaned down to pick her up.

She walked over to the back of the sofa, seeing Mo Zhu leaning back with her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed. “You’ve been drinking.”

Mo Zhu gave a soft reply and slowly opened her eyes. Before she could speak, Ji Shubai asked, “Did you really apply for my reinstatement at school?”

“Hmm?” Mo Zhu reached for her phone to check her messages. She had been busy today and hadn’t checked much besides work emails. “The news has reached you? It seems the matter is settled then.”

“My mentor just called. She wants me back as soon as possible,” Ji Shubai said.

Mo Zhu turned around and rested her arms on the back of the sofa, looking at her lazily. “Don’t you want to go back?”

She saw Ji Shubai’s lip’s part, then press tight, repeating the motion. “I told you… I don’t have time right now.”

“How do you not have time?” Mo Zhu countered. “You don’t need to worry about money, and I’ll help you with everything else.”

Ji Shubai stood there, her fingers curling and uncurling, her nails leaving faint white crescents in her palms.

“That wasn’t in our contract.”

“If you’re that concerned, why don’t I just add it to the contract?” Mo Zhu suggested.

A silence stretched between them.

Finally, Mo Zhu—feeling drowsy from the alcohol closed her eyes. “Miss Ji, stop rejecting me.”

Ji Shubai stood still for a moment, put the cat down, and went into the bedroom. When she emerged, she was holding a bottle of makeup remover and some cotton pads.

She walked over to Mo Zhu and signaled for her to turn around.

Mo Zhu, lying on her side, opened one eye. The corner of her eye tilted up as if confirming who was in front of her.

A moment later, she sluggishly sat up. Soon, she felt the cool cotton pad resting against her eyes before gently wiping away.

Her makeup was slowly removed, piece by piece. Her features, dampened by the remover, appeared as dark as if they had been washed, yet still strikingly beautiful.

The wound on her temple had almost healed; it was barely noticeable if one didn’t look closely.

“Why?” Ji Shubai couldn’t help but ask.

Mo Zhu’s thoughts seemed to be moving slowly. After a while, she spoke. “Miss Ji, haven’t I already told you the reason?”

She suddenly reached up and caught the hand Ji Shubai was using to clean her face. She pulled it away, then let go to wrap both arms around Ji’s waist. The latter tumbled onto her, the two of them pressed tightly together.

Mo Zhu pressed her face against the side of Ji’s neck, her voice sounding a bit aggrieved.

“Miss Ji, why don’t you ever believe me?”

Her freshly cleaned cheek was cool against Ji Shubai’s warm skin; it felt so comfortable she rubbed against it twice.

Ji Shubai didn’t pull away, even with the supplies still in her hands. She let the woman with the half-cleaned face rub against her post-shower skin.

She felt a corner of the fortified wall around her heart being rubbed away, replaced by a soft, slightly aching sensation.

“Go wash up before you sleep,” Ji Shubai said, pushing her away and standing up. She reached out to pull Mo Zhu up.

Mo Zhu took her hand and stood up unsteadily.

By the time Mo Zhu finished washing up and changed into her pajamas, Ji Shubai was nowhere to be seen, but she saw a glass of water on her bedside table.

She picked it up and took a few sips before placing it back and lying down before Ji Shubai returned.

When Ji Shubai came back and saw her lying down, she called Mo Zhu’s name softly. Receiving no response, she didn’t insist on waking her up to drink the water.

In the dead of night, Ji Shubai heard a rustling sound, followed by a dull thud as something hit the carpet, mixed with the sound of splashing water.

She was startled awake, her eyes still misty with sleep. “What happened?”

“Thirsty,” Mo Zhu’s voice was raspy.

Ji Shubai saw a large puddle on the bedside table where the water had been; the glass lay on the floor below.

She got up, went out, and brought back a fresh glass of water.

Mo Zhu finished the glass in her hands and lay back down.

Ji Shubai looked at the mess and pulled some tissues from the box to wipe up the water. The drawer below was slightly ajar; she pulled it open to see if the water had leaked inside.

A face-down photo frame had some water on it. She picked it up to wipe it and naturally turned it over. Her gaze swept across the contents, and her movements froze.

The Mo Zhu in the photo weirdly overlapped with the Mo Zhu in the brief dream she’d had today—the dream she couldn’t remember earlier.

At this moment, the memories came rushing back.

She had dreamed of high school.

She recognized this photo; she had one once too. It was taken back when they were in the Student Council. But so much time had passed that hers had long since been lost.

But this photo looked perfectly preserved. And more importantly, the only people in the photo were her and Mo Zhu.

Ji Shubai slowly lifted her head, her gaze complex as she looked at Mo Zhu.

On the bed, Mo Zhu had her back to her with her eyes closed, but her hand near the pillow tightened unconsciously.

Ji Shubai was silent for a long time. Eventually, the sound of the drawer closing reached Mo Zhu’s ears, followed by Ji’s receding footsteps.

Everything stopped once the bedroom door was opened and closed.

In the dim light, only the sound of Mo Zhu’s own breathing echoed in the quiet room.

She slowly opened her eyes. The eyes that had been hazy with alcohol just moments ago were now perfectly clear.

Finally, she let out a long, slow breath—so slow it sounded almost like a sigh.

The next morning, Ji Shubai wasn’t beside her when she woke up.

“Xiao Ta, check the favorability.”

Xiao Ta’s voice answered quickly, but it sounded hesitant.

I’m detecting that the female lead’s favorability is fluctuating unsteadily. I suggest you check again in a little while.

Mo Zhu didn’t understand what that meant at first, but she insisted on knowing.

Xiao Ta reported a favorability score of 85. But before Mo Zhu could even react, she was told it had changed again.

Mo Zhu spent another “chance” only to be told the favorability was now 50.

It was as thrilling as a roller coaster.

Mo Zhu finally understood what “unstable” meant. She had wasted two chances.

It must be the lack of sleep making my brain go soft, she thought.

Xiao Ta had already processed what happened last night.

Could the plan with the photo have failed?

Mo Zhu was silent for a moment. “Impossible.”

If it had failed, the favorability wouldn’t have spiked to 85.

Perhaps Ji Shubai was currently caught in a state of wavering suspicion.

Mo Zhu sat up to get out of bed, and Ji Shubai pushed the door open at that exact moment.

Their gazes met in mid-air. Mo Zhu felt as if her heart had skipped a beat.

“Breakfast is ready,” Ji Shubai said from the doorway.

“Okay.”

After washing up, Mo Zhu found Ji Shubai already waiting at the table.

The morning light cut through the blinds, slicing the dining table into strips of light and shadow.

She pulled out a chair and sat down. Her gaze drifted across the table to Ji Shubai’s lowered lashes. Those eyes, usually as calm as a still lake, were fixed on the porridge as she ate slowly.

Mo Zhu stirred her oatmeal, her movements so slow they were almost stagnant.

She waited for Ji Shubai to bring up the photo or ask a probing question, but the woman didn’t seem to have any intention of mentioning it.

The milk and oats were already fully blended, yet she continued to draw circles unconsciously. Her spoon occasionally struck the bowl with a faint, clear chime.

Opposite her, Ji Shubai finally put down her spoon. “I’m going back to school today.”

Today?

Today was Friday. Mo Zhu was supposed to return to her family home at her father’s request.

“When are you going? I’ll have the driver take you,” Mo Zhu said.

“No need,” Ji Shubai declined.

After breakfast, Mo Zhu left the house. On the way to the office, she felt a persistent sense of unease. She began to wonder if letting that photo appear before Ji Shubai yesterday had been the right move.

What if she had gained a massive amount of favorability solely because of that photo?

She turned to look out the window. Her jaw was set tight, and the usual laughter in her eyes was replaced by a thick, unyielding fog.

Is this really the result I wanted?