The Devious, Seductive Older Woman Has Been Plotting to Get Me for a Long Time - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Does She Care?

The feeling of having someone else in the house was truly different.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, Chu Yingqiu’s presence added a touch of warmth to the space. At the very least, when she returned, she wasn’t facing a cold, dark living room and an empty house.

Cold water rinsed over her hands again and again. Xiang Shuxing thought to herself as she washed the dishes, occasionally distracted, stealing glances to the side. From this angle, she could just catch a glimpse of the woman busy working in the living room.

Just being able to see that familiar figure whenever she glanced over brought a sense of comfort that she couldn’t quite explain.

Whether it was because she stole too many glances or because Chu Yingqiu had been watching her the whole time, the woman spoke coldly the moment she looked over again: “Focus on the dishes. Why do you keep looking at me?”

Xiang Shuxing stiffened and turned her head away. “You weren’t exactly focused on your work either. How would you know I was looking at you if you weren’t looking at me?”

She dropped the subject and continued washing. The weather was turning chilly, and the water in the sink was bitingly cold. Xiang Shuxing endured the shivers and hurried her movements. Having been caught, she naturally felt too embarrassed to look that way again, but half a minute later, a faint shadow fell beside her—someone was approaching.

“Your cold hasn’t fully cleared up yet. Let me do that.” Seeing the backs of her hands were frozen red, Chu Yingqiu frowned.

“No need. I’ve always been someone who sees things through to the end.” Xiang Shuxing said this aloud, but in her heart, she thought: I have to do something; I can’t just push all the housework onto Chu Yingqiu.

After her refusal, the person beside her just watched her quietly. She didn’t speak, and she didn’t leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Chu Yingqiu’s contemplative expression. She wondered what the woman was thinking, it couldn’t possibly be that she was feeling sorry for her, right?

Feeling sorry for me? Xiang Shuxing was shocked by her own sudden speculation, yet she couldn’t help but wonder how likely it was. Did Chu Yingqiu care about her? Did she feel sorry for her? Xiang Shuxing lowered her eyes to the bowl in her hands, her peripheral vision involuntarily drifting toward the woman beside her.

She couldn’t show it too obviously, she could only sense Chu Yingqiu’s silence and the gaze that was fixed firmly on her. This feeling was agonizing.

She couldn’t guess the other woman’s intentions, nor could she test them with words. The past had proven that Chu Yingqiu was far more perceptive than her, almost every time she tried to test the waters, she was the one being manipulated instead.

About half a minute later, she couldn’t hold back any longer and asked as if it were a casual thought: “Are you done with your work?”

“There’s still some left.”

Xiang Shuxing’s movements paused. She had just finished the last bowl. She placed it on the rack and turned her head. As luck would have it, she locked eyes with the woman beside her—there was no doubt about it, Chu Yingqiu had been watching her all along.

Xiang Shuxing clenched her fingers and pretended to ask casually: “Then why have you been staying here? Why aren’t you going to finish the rest?”

Chu Yingqiu’s gaze swept lightly over her red hands. “I was going to.”

“But leaving you to do all this alone… it’s hard to feel at ease.”

She hadn’t expected an answer like that. Disappointment and annoyance mingled, and Xiang Shuxing moved her lips: “Do you think I’m ignorant, or that I’m incapable of doing anything?” She wasn’t skilled at cooking, but she could handle basic life skills just fine. Why did this person always look down on her?

“I’m done talking to you.” Xiang Shuxing tucked her frozen red hands into her sleeves and turned to leave.

Chu Yingqiu grabbed her arm. “Show me your hands.”

“What for?” She frowned, her expression tinged with impatience. She was still irritated by their previous exchange and wanted to refuse, but when she met the woman’s concerned eyes, the words died on her lips. In the end, she merely moved her lips and reluctantly held out her hands. Fine, let’s see how she intends to tease me this time.

She reached out carelessly, her expression far from pleasant. To her surprise, the next second, her freezing hands were gently enveloped, warm body heat transferring through their skin.

Stunned for a moment, she looked at Chu Yingqiu. The woman seemed not to feel the cold at all, holding her hands tightly in her palms, offering endless warmth. They were pressed so closely together that she could feel the soft, smooth skin of Chu Yingqiu’s palms. The sensation was foreign and made her extremely uncomfortable.

Xiang Shuxing awkwardly looked away, her hands fidgeting, wanting to pull away. “You don’t have to do this. It just looks scary, it’s not actually that cold.”

“Liar,” Chu Yingqiu stared at her. “I heard you muttering about the cold just a moment ago.”

Without waiting for a reaction, she pulled Xiang Shuxing closer. “My pockets are also very warm.”

“This…that’s not necessary.” Understanding what she meant, Xiang Shuxing coughed lightly. Relying on just “holding hands” wasn’t enough to warm them up, so when the woman finally pulled her hands away, the familiar chill came rushing back.

She curled her fingers and, choosing honesty over stubbornness, took a step forward and placed both hands inside Chu Yingqiu’s pockets.

Chu Yingqiu was wearing a light-colored down jacket today. The pockets were spacious, and when she tucked her hands in, she could feel the soft, silky lining and waves of warmth. It was cozy and soft.

Xiang Shuxing knew that the warmth she touched was entirely transferred from the woman’s body. Thinking of this, an odd emotion swelled in her chest.

They weren’t far apart, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, yet she found herself subconsciously wanting to be even closer. Xiang Shuxing took a deep breath, suppressing her inexplicable urges. The pockets were near the woman’s waist.

Even though she wanted to soak up more warmth, she kept her hands obediently still, mindful of the sensitive location.

Standing side-by-side in silence, her heart gradually calmed. She started: “Why did you suddenly return to China?”

She had researched Yingxing before. Even though it was a cutting-edge company, most of its branches were overseas. It focused on those foreign markets and industries. Returning to China meant a total re-planning, it was far less effortless than staying there.

“Aunt Xiang passed away. Of course I had to rush back.”

It was a flawless and logical excuse. Xiang Shuxing was silent for a moment before asking: “Is this the same excuse you give everyone else when they ask?”

If it were anyone else, they would have believed it, but she didn’t. Although her past memories were a bit blurred due to the accident, she vaguely remembered that Chu Yingqiu’s relationship with her mother hadn’t been close.

Back then, Xiang Yinghua had taken her in out of old loyalty after the Chu family went bankrupt, but it was just a piece of paper, a certificate of adoption. She hadn’t let Chu Yingqiu call her “Mom,” and correspondingly, Chu Yingqiu had only addressed her with a simple, polite “Aunt Xiang.”

Even at the funeral, Chu Yingqiu hadn’t mourned like the others; she had only looked on from afar and sent her assistant to deliver flowers. Thinking of these things, she couldn’t grasp the woman’s true intentions. She asked tentatively, her tone wavering: “Was your relationship with my mother that bad?”

“Why would you ask that?” Chu Yingqiu looked at her and reached out to straighten the fold of her collar. “Aunt Xiang was very kind to me, and I respected her very much.”

Xiang Shuxing pressed her lips together. A voice in her heart kept telling her that wasn’t the truth, but with her memories a blank slate, she had no way to verify it.

“Then why didn’t you ever come back all these years?” She probed. She noticed the woman stiffen slightly, a clear change in her expression.

Xiang Shuxing waited in anticipation for the answer, but this time, Chu Yingqiu remained silent for a long while. The previously relaxed atmosphere had turned heavy. Knowing that pressing further would likely yield no results, she pulled her hands out and took a half-step back, immediately widening the distance between them.

“My hands aren’t cold anymore. I’m going back to my room.” With that, she walked around Chu Yingqiu and left.

The distance they had struggled to bridge had returned to square one just as easily. Chu Yingqiu watched the girl’s hurried retreating figure, then lowered her eyes, all her emotions masked deep beneath her gaze, unreadable and unclear.