The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 57

Yun Can’er originally thought Ning Xiao’s suggestion for her and Lu Qiqi to go out was just a passing remark. To her surprise, she received a message from Lu Qiqi early the next morning.

Seven Qiqis: Can’er! I’m coming over to your place tomorrow to hang out!

Can’er:  For real?

Seven Qiqis: Of course! Zhou Ning suddenly told me last night that I should visit you more often.

Hearing footsteps, Yun Can’er put down her phone and looked over. Ning Xiao walked toward her with an elegant stride, car keys in hand, ready for work.

As their eyes met, Ning Xiao walked over and patted the top of her head. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

With a complicated expression, Yun Can’er replied, “Qiqi said she’s coming over”

Ning Xiao smiled. “Isn’t that nice?”

“It was… you who told Zhou Ning to let Qiqi out, wasn’t it?” Yun Can’er asked in a low voice.

Ning Xiao chuckled but didn’t give a direct answer. “Have fun.” She withdrew her hand and took a card from her bag, placing it in Yun Can’er’s palm. “There’s 500,000 in here. From now on, I’ll deposit 500,000 every month as your allowance.”

Yun Can’er stared blankly as Ning Xiao’s tall, slender figure disappeared into the hallway. Suddenly, a warm sensation flickered in her chest.

“I won’t fall for your tricks. No matter how nice you are to me, it won’t work,” she muttered under her breath after a long silence.

Yet, her dark eyes sparkled with joy, mixed with a hint of bashful hesitation. She reached up to touch the strands of hair Ning Xiao had just stroked; her fingertips felt a strange, tingling numbness.

Around nine in the morning, Lu Qiqi was dropped off at the Youyun Villa by the Lu family driver. The moment she stepped inside, she noticed four neatly arranged gift bags on the sofa.

“Did you and your stepmother buy these yesterday? What’s inside?” Lu Qiqi had wanted to browse yesterday, but once Zhou Ning ran into Ning Xiao and secured a dinner invitation, she refused to shop any further.

Yun Can’er looked at the pink bags, remembering how Ning Xiao had spent the previous day dressing her up like a doll. Her cheeks flushed slightly. “Ning Xiao insisted on buying everything; I didn’t pick a single thing myself,” she said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Intrigued, Lu Qiqi said, “Let me see what she picked for you.”

She wondered just how many accessories it took to fill four gift bags the size of shoeboxes. Yun Can’er walked over and emptied the contents. Lu Qiqi began rummaging through them, exclaiming, “Wow! These are so cute!”

Seeing that Lu Qiqi genuinely liked the items, Yun Can’er almost told her to take whatever she wanted. However, her lips twitched, and memories of yesterday flashed through her mind. For some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

It felt disrespectful to give away things Ning Xiao had specifically bought for her. “Qiqi, if you like these”

Lu Qiqi looked up at her expectantly, holding a pink piggy cashmere scarf.

“Let’s go shopping this afternoon and buy some!”

Lu Qiqi: This wasn’t quite the response she expected.

“Sure, let’s go shopping!” Buying them herself was fine too; there would be more variety to choose from.

Yun Can’er breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad Lu Qiqi wasn’t upset. She knew Qiqi wanted the trinkets, and since they weren’t things she’d normally use, giving them away would have been practical. Yet, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Can’er, there’s even a pair of ‘couple cups’ here!” Lu Qiqi announced, fishing out two white ceramic mugs from the pile like she’d discovered hidden treasure.

“What couple cups?”

How could Ning Xiao buy couple cups? Unless… did she have a new boyfriend? Yun Boyuan hadn’t been dead that long! Yun Can’er’s expression shifted instantly.

Lu Qiqi held up the mugs to show her the patterns. “When you put them together, they form a single picture. If these aren’t couple cups, what are they?”

Yun Can’er froze when she saw the familiar design. Her tension eased. “Those were freebies with the accessories, not couple cups.”

She had caught a glimpse of the pattern on Ning Xiao’s mug yesterday. She had pointed to her own at random; she hadn’t realized they were a set.

“If they aren’t couple cups, they can be ‘bestie cups,'” Lu Qiqi suggested with a playful wink.

Yun Can’er’s fingers curled against her knees, the tips of her ears turning red. “The quality of free gifts isn’t great; I wasn’t planning on using them. Let’s buy a high-quality pair of bestie cups when we go out this afternoon.”

It was the first time Yun Can’er had lied. Her heart raced so hard she felt it might jump out of her throat while waiting for a response.

“True. Bestie friendships should last forever, so we definitely need good quality cups,” Lu Qiqi said, setting them back down.

Yun Can’er’s heart finally settled.

“A movie was released yesterday with great reviews. The distributor sent over the digital key, let’s go watch it in the media room,” Yun Can’er said, standing up.

“Sister He, please put these things away. And send two glasses of fresh orange juice to the media room,” she instructed the housekeeper.

The housekeeper agreed with a smile and began tidying up the accessories scattered on the sofa. Because of the importance Ning Xiao placed on her, the servants’ attitudes had become increasingly respectful, making Yun Can’er feel more comfortable giving orders.

After tidying up, Sister He went to the kitchen to squeeze the juice and prepared an exquisite fruit platter to bring to the media room.

Lu Qiqi popped a strawberry into her mouth, looking envious. “Can’er, things are really looking up for you. Zhou Ning can’t even compare to your stepmother. The servants at my house only listen to her; I can’t get them to do anything.”

Yun Can’er found she didn’t like the term “stepmother.” “Just call her Ning Xiao from now on. I don’t think of her as a stepmother anyway.”

Lu Qiqi nodded. “Fair enough.”

On screen, the leads were fleeing through a rainstorm. Lu Qiqi was completely absorbed, but Yun Can’er’s mind began to wander.

She wondered: if she didn’t view Ning Xiao as a stepmother, then what exactly was she to her? Even by the end of the film, Yun Can’er couldn’t find a label that fit.

Ning Xiao signed the last document and handed it to Yang Yuanqi. She checked the time: 4:30 PM.

Wondering what Yun Can’er was up to, she dialed her number. The phone rang seven or eight times before being answered.

“Hello?” Yun Can’er’s soft voice came through the line.

“Are you back from shopping yet?”

Standing in the mall, Yun Can’er was startled. She scanned her surroundings but saw no one suspicious. “How did you know I was shopping with Qiqi? Did Sister He snitch on me?”

Ning Xiao let out a soft laugh. “You think I have people spying on you?”

The vibration of Ning Xiao’s low voice made Yun Can’er’s cheek feel tingly against the phone. “Don’t you?”

“Of course not,” Ning Xiao replied. “Exit the call screen and check the WeChat Moment you posted an hour ago.”

Caught up in the melody of Ning Xiao’s voice, Yun Can’er followed the instructions. Seeing the photo of the mall she had posted, her face instantly turned bright red. She had leaked her own location and then had the nerve to cross-examine Ning Xiao… it was so embarrassing.

“Can’er? Did you see it? Why are you quiet?” Ning Xiao could easily picture her current state and teased her on purpose.

“Sorry, I misunderstood you,” Yun Can’er whispered, sounding like a tiny kitten.

Ning Xiao smiled. “It’s fine. Now, can you answer my first question?”

Surprised by how easily Ning Xiao let her off the hook, Yun Can’er scrambled to remember what the first question was.

[“Are you back from shopping yet?”]

Right. That was it.

“We’re still browsing,” Yun Can’er said, glancing at Lu Qiqi, who was still enthusiastically picking out trinkets. She complained softly to Ning Xiao, “Qiqi is such a shopaholic. I’m afraid I won’t be home until the mall closes.”

Ning Xiao felt a sudden flutter in her chest. She frowned and touched her heart, a strange sense of familiarity flashing by. “I’ve finished my work. Do you want me to come pick you both up?”

If Ning Xiao came, Lu Qiqi would be too shy to keep shopping!

Yun Can’er couldn’t help but do a little hop for joy. Noticing a sales assistant looking over, she turned away and tried to sound composed. “Won’t that be too much trouble for you?”

“How could picking you up be a trouble? Wait for me, okay?”

Ning Xiao hung up, her smile lingering.

Yang Yuanqi, who had overheard the entire conversation, had no idea “Can’er” was the eldest daughter of the Yun Group. He only noticed how incredibly doting Ning Xiao’s voice sounded.

Could Ning Xiao have a new “little boyfriend”?

Since Yun Boyuan had only recently passed away, Yang Yuanqi wasn’t foolish enough to ask if she was in a new relationship, but he felt a bit conflicted and pitied the young mistress. They say a new stepmother leads to a “stepfather” figure; it seemed the young mistress might actually get one.

Unaware of her assistant’s runaway imagination, Ning Xiao stood up. “I’m leaving early. Mark me down for an early departure and dock half my day’s pay.”

“Understood, President Ning.”

Once she left, Yang Yuanqi returned to his office, organized the files, and pulled out his phone to share the gossip with his college roommate, Zhuang Yuzhen.

Take a Nap: Got some explosive news for you. Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone.

Cheer Up: Speak.

Knowing Zhuang Yuzhen was a man of his word, Yang Yuanqi quickly typed out the details.

Take a Nap: It’s about our President Ning!

Cheer Up: Oh? Let’s hear it.

On the surface, Zhuang Yuzhen seemed calm, but his heart rate spiked at the mention of Ning Xiao.

Take a Nap: I was just in her office for signatures. I stayed a moment after she finished and saw her on the phone looking so incredibly smitten. She was asking the person if they were still shopping and even left work early to pick them up! You know how much of a workaholic she is, yet she left early for someone! I bet she’s got a new boyfriend!

Zhuang Yuzhen’s brow furrowed deeply. Ning Xiao had a boyfriend?

Cheer Up: Could it be a misunderstanding? She’s not that kind of person.

Take a Nap: Hey, you can’t judge a book by its cover. I don’t really care what she does, but I feel bad for the late CEO and the daughter.

Cheer Up: Do you know which mall she went to?

Take a Nap: Haihe Mall. Why? You want to go see for yourself if she really has a boyfriend?

Yang Yuanqi asked jokingly.

Cheer Up: Yeah. I’m going.

Zhuang Yuzhen sent the last message with a dark expression, stood up, grabbed his blazer, and walked out of his office.

Yang Yuanqi was stunned.

Take a Nap: Yuzhen, you’re joking, right???

He waited for a while, but there was no reply.

Take a Nap: Crap. I think I just started something.

Support