The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 28

Is “grow old together” really used this way?

But come to think of it, being lifelong friends and maintaining eternal friendship using “grow old together” to describe it doesn’t seem entirely wrong either.

Lin Wan blinked, carefully carried Bai Yin to the wheelchair, and watched as Bai Yin entered the bathroom.

She stood upright, watching Bai Yin close the door before slumping down and rubbing her waist.

She seemed to have strained her back while lifting Bai Yin, and the muscles around her waist felt sore.

Even though she pretended to be fine in front of Bai Yin, lifting Bai Yin was always a bit of a struggle for her.

Lin Wan took a deep breath and secretly resolved to exercise more diligently in the future. Otherwise, once Bai Yin became healthier, she probably wouldn’t be able to lift her at all, which would be utterly embarrassing!

Rubbing her waist as she walked out, Lin Wan felt as though she had forgotten something. But thinking about how her relationship with Bai Yin had progressed significantly, she was too happy to dwell on it and simply left while massaging her sore back.

It wasn’t until she opened the door and saw the stunned expressions of Butler Zhao and Sister Zhang that Lin Wan belatedly realized what she had forgotten.

Oh no, was it already time for breakfast?

“I…”

She cleared her throat, straightened up under their shocked gazes, and attempted to cover up the situation by explaining, “I… I came over last night to read to the young lady and accidentally fell asleep in her room.”

“Oh, I see!”

Butler Zhao drew out his words, retracting his astonishment and slowly breaking into a smile. He waved kindly and said, “You’ve worked hard all night. Go rest now!”

Lin Wan felt there was something odd about Butler Zhao’s smile, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

She hummed in response and continued walking. After a few steps, the muscles in her waist twinged again, and she couldn’t help but rub her waist once more.

“Am I seeing things? She’s rubbing her waist.”

Butler Zhao’s voice, raised and tinged with excitement, came from behind.

“You’re not mistaken,” Sister Zhang replied, her voice sounding somewhat distant.

“Is that so! It seems the young lady is the more capable one.”

Butler Zhao’s tone carried a clear note of admiration, almost as if he were proud. “They’ve been inseparable these days. I knew this day would come sooner or later.”

“I’ll bring her some medicated wine later. Lin Wan must have had a tough night and needs to take good care of herself. I wonder how many times this has happened already. We’ve been negligent.”

Lin Wanwanted to say that this was her first time staying overnight with Bai Yin, but considering she had been reading to Bai Yin for a while now, she wasn’t sure which incident Butler Zhao was referring to. Besides, his words sounded a bit strange, and Lin Wan didn’t know how to respond. After a moment’s thought, she decided not to explain and simply entered her room.

After freshening up, Lin Wan received a call from her uncle.

Her uncle had already rented a storefront, but her grandmother was upset that he had done so without telling her. They had been at odds for the past couple of days. He called to ask if Lin Wan could come back and try to persuade her grandmother.

Lin Wan’s fingers had healed without any visible marks, and she still had two days left of her half-month break. Thinking she could both persuade her grandmother and help check out the storefront, she agreed without hesitation.

Lin Wan immediately packed her luggage.

It wasn’t until she told Bai Yin the news and saw Bai Yin’s slightly lowered eyes that Lin Wan belatedly realized this might not be appropriate: she had just promised Bai Yin she would stay with her and help improve her sleep, yet now she was about to take leave and go home.

“Yin Yin, I’ll be back soon,” Lin Wan said, feeling somewhat guilty, and could only coax her: “Don’t worry, I’ll video call you every night these two days.”

“I was just thinking about what gifts you should bring back for Grandma,” Bai Yin said upon hearing this, finally showing a smile as she lifted her head and picked up her phone.

Lin Wan initially thought this was just an excuse Bai Yin used to cover up her sulking, but to her surprise, Bai Yin immediately called Butler Zhao and asked him to prepare gifts. By the time Lin Wan tried to stop her, it was already too late.

After finishing this, Bai Yin then looked up at Lin Wan, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and softly asked, “Have you settled the matter with your shopfront?”

“Uncle has already started the renovations.”

Lin Wan held nothing back from Bai Yin and explained her family’s situation, sighing, “I need to go back and comfort Grandma.”

“It’s understandable that elderly people are afraid of taking risks,” Bai Yin comforted her in a low voice, then handed over a business card. “Since your family is opening a shop, I don’t have much to give you. I’ve already asked Butler Zhao to contact a renovation company we’re familiar with. They’ll take care of everything for your shop’s renovation.”

Seeing that Lin Wan was reluctant to accept it, Bai Yin blinked, leaned closer to Lin Wan’s ear, and whispered, “Our company is planning some renovations soon. This is something Butler Zhao asked for as an extra. He said you’re my relative, and the renovation company, wanting to curry favor with me, agreed to a steep discount. It didn’t cost much.”

With Bai Yin saying this, pressing further would seem ungrateful. Lin Wan finally reached out and took the business card from Bai Yin.

The moment she took the card, Lin Wan couldn’t help but reflect inwardly: Bai Yin truly cared deeply for those around her. Even if Lin Wan hadn’t approached Bai Yin for a mission, staying by her side for a while would likely make her wholeheartedly devoted to Bai Yin.

Holding the thought that she must treat Bai Yin even better in the future, Lin Wan carried the large and small gifts prepared by Butler Zhao and returned to her grandmother’s house.

When she arrived home, her uncle was holding a bowl of rice, his face full of worry as he tried to persuade Grandma to eat. Grandma had turned her head away, completely ignoring him.

Seeing her grandmother’s demeanor, Lin Wan couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, reminded of a certain delicate young lady who also disliked eating properly. She wondered if, after she left, that young lady would listen to Sister Zhang and eat well.

It was strange. She didn’t know why, but even though they had only been apart for a short while, she couldn’t help but miss Bai Yin.

Grandma turned her head and clearly noticed Lin Wan standing outside the door. Her eyes lit up briefly, but then, as if remembering something, she snorted, lifted her chin, and turned away.

“Old and useless now, huh? My son doesn’t listen to me, and even my granddaughter treats me like a guest, bringing all sorts of gifts when she visits.”

Such skill in making indirect criticisms.

Her uncle looked at Lin Wan with a helpless expression.

Lin Wan took the bowl from his hands, sighed inwardly, set the gifts aside, crouched down, scooped up a spoonful of rice, and pulled out her phone, whispering to coax her grandmother.

“Grandma, I got a raise, and a bonus just came through recently. Do you want to know how much I’m earning now?”

Old people can be like children sometimes, and Lin Wan knew her grandmother wasn’t deliberately being difficult. She was just worried that Lin Wan couldn’t handle the financial burden and upset that she had spent such a large sum without discussing it first.

“Take a bite of rice, and I’ll tell you,” Lin Wan said, holding a spoonful up to her grandmother’s lips with a smile.

Her grandmother huffed twice, shot Lin Wan a glare, but just as Lin Wan expected, she ended up eating the spoonful of rice.

Her uncle, standing nearby, visibly relaxed.

Only after her grandmother had swallowed the rice did Lin Wan open her phone and show her the sizable bonus that had just been deposited.

“Why did they suddenly give you so much money?” Her grandmother widened her eyes in surprise. Lin Wan didn’t answer but instead brought another spoonful of rice to her lips.

“That’s another question, Grandma,” Lin Wan said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “You’ll need to take another bite for that.”

With each spoonful tied to a question, Lin Wan managed to feed her grandmother the entire meal, all while explaining how she had earned the bonus and where the gifts had come from.

To keep her grandmother from worrying, Lin Wan naturally left out the part about injuring her hand.

“It’s only right that you helped the young lady of your household,” her grandmother remarked, her worries easing somewhat upon learning that Lin Wan had come by the money legitimately. “But your young lady is very generous too not only did she give you such a large bonus, but she also sent us so many gifts.”

“Exactly!” Lin Wan nodded in agreement. “Actually, it was the young lady who suggested I rent this storefront.”

Lin Wan recounted Bai Yin’s persuasive reasoning to her grandmother, and as expected, the elderly woman’s expression softened noticeably.

“The young lady was raised with refined tastes and can be quite picky, but she really loves the nougat you made. Last time, she couldn’t stop praising it and ate quite a few pieces.”

To further ease her grandmother’s concerns, Lin Wan mixed a bit of exaggeration with the truth. It was true that Bai Yin liked her grandmother’s nougat, but with her small appetite, she had only eaten a few pieces. Most of the rest ended up being fed back to Lin Wan.

“The young lady has a lot of faith in us. She thinks with your skills, we’re bound to succeed,” Lin Wan said cheerfully, handing her grandmother a business card. “She even helped arrange a renovation company for us, saving us a lot of expenses.”

“So, Grandma,” Lin Wan said earnestly, “we have to do our best. I truly believe you can make this shop thrive!”

“That Miss Bai really is someone who repays kindness!”

Hearing Lin Wan’s words, the worry in her grandmother’s eyes finally faded a little. She couldn’t help but sigh, “Wanwan, you’ve grown up so much lately. I was afraid you’d been dealing with a difficult employer and had to mature because of hardship, but now I feel reassured.”

“Still, from now on, you should save the money you earn. I’m already halfway into the grave. It’s not worth spending so much on me.”

“Nonsense!” Lin Wan pretended to be upset and quickly covered her grandmother’s mouth. “I’d be happy to spend any amount on you, Grandma.”

“You, child…”

Her grandmother sighed, patted Lin Wan’s hand with deep affection, and said no more.

Finally having coaxed Grandma into a better mood, Lin Wan breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

In the afternoon, the three of them went to the rented storefront. After finalizing the renovation plan, they contacted the decoration company.

As expected, because of Bai Yin’s influence, the decoration company was extremely enthusiastic toward Lin Wan.

Even though they knew it wouldn’t matter if the shop was decorated more lavishly. Knowing Bai Yin’s character, she would definitely reimburse her neither Bai Yin nor Grandma opted for an extravagant design, choosing instead a simple and elegant style.

Renovating a storefront isn’t like decorating a home; it can be completed in just half a month at most.

Little Uncle stayed behind to finalize the renovation details with the decoration company, while Lin Wan took a taxi home with Grandma.

By then, it was almost dinnertime.

Gazing at the sunset outside the window, Lin Wan couldn’t help but start worrying about Bai Yin again. She couldn’t resist making a video call to Bai Yin at the villa.

It took a while for Bai Yin to answer on the other end. The background was a plain white wall, and for a moment, Lin Wan couldn’t tell where she was.

“Yin Yin, did you go out?” Lin Wan asked softly. “Did you eat on time? How much did you eat.”

Bai Yin curved her lips, about to reply, when a surprised voice suddenly sounded beside Lin Wan’s ear: “What a beautiful girl! Wanwan, is this your friend?”

Bai Yin on the other end of the video clearly hadn’t expected Grandma to pop up either. She froze for a moment before breaking into a smile and speaking politely, “Hello, Grandma!”

“This is Miss Bai,” Lin Wan introduced quietly.

“So this is Miss Bai,” Grandma’s smile deepened. “Miss Bai is as beautiful as she is kind-hearted, even more lovely than I imagined.”

“Thank you for the gifts you brought back. Wanwan said you really like the nougat I make. Which flavor do you like best? I’ll have Wanwan bring some over for you this time.”

Lin Wan hadn’t expected Grandma to suddenly reveal the lie she had casually told earlier, but by then, it was too late to stop her.

“Did Wanwan tell you that?”

Bai Yin on the screen seemed momentarily surprised before she smiled gently. “Yes, I really do love the nougat you make. I like every flavor.”

Fortunately, Bai Yin was quick-witted and didn’t expose her lie. Lin Wan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

After that, Bai Yin and Grandma chatted for a long time. Lin Wan hadn’t expected the usually reserved Bai Yin to be so cooperative with Grandma, making her beam with joy.

Touched, Lin Wan made sure to call Bai Yin again before bed that night to thank her specifically.

“Thank you for not exposing me.”

Bai Yin’s gaze lingered on Lin Wan’s rosy lips on the screen. Her throat moved slightly, and her eyes darkened.

“The candy Wanwan brought really is delicious.”

As if recalling something, Bai Yin smiled inexplicably and curved her lips again.

“Besides, Butler Zhao has been nagging me all day, telling me to treat you well and go along with you.”