To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Upon hearing her words, Shen Qingruo immediately repeated the words “little kid” in her heart ten thousand times.

If this were any other time, she would have teased, “Only a little kid would care so much about being called a little kid.”

But for some reason, she felt a bit wary right now. She was afraid of ending up with an aching waist and sore legs again—she had barely been able to crawl out of bed after the last time.

“Meng Chi?” Shen Qingruo said. “As in ‘Meng’ from the poet Meng Haoran, and ‘Chi’ as in ‘sooner or later’?”

“Yes.” Meng Chi’s expression softened considerably. “You fell asleep just now. Are you feeling okay?”

Shen Qingruo felt that Meng Chi was acting a bit like a split personality—she had been like a wolf just a moment ago, but now she was being gentle.

Still, Shen Qingruo was a playful soul by nature. Seeing Meng Chi’s softer side, her mischievousness returned. She licked her reddened lips and said, “No other discomfort, really. Just that my lips are a bit swollen.”

Meng Chi looked away awkwardly. “Don’t just keep soaking in the tub. Let me help you up.”

A hint of a smile danced in Shen Qingruo’s eyes. She lazily draped her arm over Meng Chi’s shoulder, using her as leverage to step out of the bathtub.

The water droplets she brought with her soaked into Meng Chi’s clothes.

During both hotel stays, Meng Chi had put her own clothes back on after showering. She wasn’t as uninhibited as Shen Qingruo, who was perfectly comfortable running around in a loosely tied bathrobe.

Ignoring her wet clothes, Meng Chi politely supported Shen Qingruo, trying to lift her out in one go, only to find she couldn’t quite manage it.

Before this, Meng Chi never thought she was weak. While she wasn’t as strong as a man, handling everyday physical tasks had never been an issue.

After getting out, Shen Qingruo stepped under the showerhead for a quick rinse. She turned around and, seeing Meng Chi standing there dazed, laughed. “Do you want to shower with me again?”

Meng Chi shook her head and walked out of the bathroom in silence.

As Shen Qingruo adjusted the water temperature, she wondered, Why did the kid suddenly look unhappy? Her expression changes like the weather—has she not outgrown her teenage mood swings yet?

Twenty minutes later, Shen Qingruo finished drying her hair and felt thirsty. She walked out of the bathroom straight to the wine cabinet. After taking two sips of red wine, she glanced toward Meng Chi and saw the girl looking at her phone while using her other hand to do small curls with two water bottles, as if they were dumbbells.

It was quite a funny sight.

Shen Qingruo leaned against the wine cabinet and joked, “Warming up, are we?”

The “little kid” was so engrossed in whatever she was reading on her phone that she didn’t even seem to notice Shen Qingruo had come out.

Meng Chi was still reading the Economic Weekly. Hearing Shen Qingruo’s voice behind her, she froze for a split second before silently putting the water bottles back where they belonged.

Shen Qingruo, unaware of the complex emotions Meng Chi had just experienced in the bathroom, walked over and sat down. She casually combed through her hair, then leaned against Meng Chi’s slender shoulder and whispered playfully:

“It took me so long to recover last time. If you keep training, I won’t survive.”

…

The next day, not long after they had fallen asleep, Shen Qingruo’s phone alarm began to vibrate. She had intended to summon her workaholic spirit and head out to work, but her limbs felt like jelly. She had no choice but to give up.

She nudged Meng Chi with her leg and said as a matter of course, “Kid, I set several alarms. Turn them all off for me.”

Meng Chi wanted to say something about the nickname, but seeing how exhausted the other woman looked, she bit her tongue. She picked up the phone but found it locked. “There’s a passcode.”

Shen Qingruo was too tired to move. “1128.”

“Is that your birthday?”

Shen Qingruo was truly too exhausted to crack her usual jokes or lie about it being “the day she first started in this profession.” She just hummed an “Mhm” and buried her face in the pillow. Her voice was muffled and drowsy: “Don’t wake me before noon unless the universe is ending… Actually, let it end. I’ve been tired of defending the Earth for so many years… Ah, I’m talking too much. I forgot I signed the 1999 Secrecy Agreement…”

Meng Chi: “.”

“That meme is way too old,” Meng Chi muttered.

She remembered back in middle school, during a break, Jiang Sitian had pulled her into a corner with a serious face and said, “Meng Chi, do you know about the ’99 Secrecy Agreement? Jiang Yiku accidentally let it slip yesterday that they all had to sign it.”

Remembering how Shen Qingruo had called someone else “little kid” yesterday, Meng Chi added, “You should save those lies for your other little sisters.”

Shen Qingruo didn’t reply. Her breathing was steady, her shoulders rising and falling slightly as she drifted off.

Meng Chi stared into space for a moment, then, worried Shen Qingruo might catch a cold, she tucked the thin blanket around her. She lay down as well and soon fell asleep.

…

It was past 1:00 PM.

Meng Chi woke up to the faint sound of someone dressing. She opened her eyes groggily, but the realization that the woman was leaving again snapped her into full consciousness.

Shen Qingruo was quietly slipping into her slip dress when she felt an intense gaze from behind. She turned around.

The “little kid” who had been fast asleep just moments ago was now sitting quietly at the head of the bed. Her beautiful eyes showed little emotion, and her dark, silky hair fell over her thin shoulders, the ends slightly messy.

Shen Qingruo sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Meng Chi’s ear. Her fingertips brushed against the smooth skin. Looking into those earnest eyes, Shen Qingruo thought for a moment, then teased with a smile, “This time, I’m definitely charging a fee.”

“How much?” Meng Chi asked immediately.

She felt that Shen Qingruo’s fingers were a bit cold. She thought it was strange—the woman’s body temperature was always so low, yet she always turned the AC down so far.

“Do you want WeChat or Alipay?” Meng Chi reached for her phone while naturally taking Shen Qingruo’s hand.

She didn’t think much of it; she just wanted to warm Shen Qingruo’s hand.

Shen Qingruo glanced at their interlaced hands and smiled. “WeChat, then.”

It occurred to Meng Chi that she could use this chance to get Shen Qingruo’s WeChat. A smile finally touched her lips.

Shen Qingruo saw the look on Meng Chi’s face and, as if knowing exactly what she was happy about, a flicker of amusement crossed her eyes. She handed her phone to Meng Chi. “Scan me.”

Meng Chi stared at the QR code on the screen, dazed for a beat.

Shen Qingruo tapped the payment QR code and said slowly, “I’m charging you one yuan this time.”

In her excitement, Meng Chi had forgotten that transferring money doesn’t require adding someone as a friend. She froze again, not quite understanding.

Shen Qingruo, addicted to teasing the girl, started acting. “I didn’t take money last time, and if I don’t take it this time, you’ll think I’m free. But I’m very satisfied with you, so… one yuan, just for the sake of it.”

Meng Chi immediately scanned the code and transferred the money without a word.

Shen Qingruo was about to say something else when her gaze caught the notification on her phone. She froze.

Payment Received Amount: 10,000

It was clearly the amount Meng Chi had just sent.

Shen Qingruo had been so busy teasing that she forgot to set a specific amount for the payment code. She really hadn’t expected the girl to do this.

“Taking advantage of me, are you?” Shen Qingruo said with a half-smile. “I said one yuan per time, and you want to go for another nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times?”

Meng Chi’s face turned beet red. She hadn’t expected that interpretation. “No… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Shen Qingruo stopped teasing. “Kid, open your receiving QR code. I’ll send it back.”

“No need.”

“You’re still a student, you rely on your family for everything,” Shen Qingruo said. “Do your parents know you’re out here… acting so recklessly and spending money like water?”

She emphasized the words “recklessly” and “spending like water.” Having just spent a night in indulgence, her voice was naturally a bit raspy, making her sound even more seductive.

Meng Chi was slightly dazed, but replied seriously, “My parents don’t know.” She paused. “Just keep it. I earned that money myself.”

“New Year’s red envelope money?”

Meng Chi: “…Stop looking down on people.”

She felt Shen Qingruo was mocking her age again. She hadn’t intended to say how she earned it, but since the other woman refused to keep it, she said, “I made it in the stock market.”

Shen Qingruo laughed. “Retail investors can actually make money in this market? You might as well tell me you found it on the street.”

Meng Chi reached out and placed a hand on Shen Qingruo’s shoulder, her tone somewhat comforting. “I understand the pain of being ‘trapped’ in a bad stock, but just because you didn’t make money doesn’t mean others haven’t.”

Shen Qingruo: “.”

She had indeed been severely “trapped” in the market for two years, which was why she hadn’t touched a single stock since.

Was her smile just now so bitter that the kid could see through her? Did the “green light” from those two years of losses still linger on her face?

She figured the kid probably hadn’t actually seen anything and was just fishing for information. Though she still didn’t quite believe Meng Chi, the memory of her past losses made her grit her teeth. “There are no permanent winners in the stock market. I suggest you quit while you’re ahead.”

Meng Chi: “.”

Even though she knew what she was about to say was a bit of a “flex,” she said it anyway.

“When I was trading stocks, it was just to write a thesis on the stock market under changing economic policies. Once the thesis was finished, I sold everything. I knew I would make some money back, but I didn’t expect the market to be so good those two days. It was a windfall. But I agree with you—there are no permanent winners.”

Shen Qingruo: “.”

Worried the woman would still refuse, Meng Chi added, “The capital I used for the stocks was earned from my summer jobs…”

Shen Qingruo pressed her forefinger against Meng Chi’s lips. “Shh. No more humble-bragging. I’ll take the money. I’ll consider it getting revenge for the refugees of the stock market.”

Despite saying that, Shen Qingruo still didn’t plan on keeping a student’s money.

She quickly finished getting ready to leave for work. Before walking out, she asked, “Kid, want to add me on WeChat?”

She’d add her first, then find an excuse to return the money later.

Meng Chi had been wondering how to ask for her contact info. What if she was rejected? Was there a reason the woman wouldn’t turn down?

She didn’t mind spending the time and energy to find her again, but North City was so big, and the world outside was even bigger. She was afraid that once they separated, she wouldn’t know when they’d meet again. Or if they would meet at all.

So when she heard the offer, her look of deep thought was instantly replaced by joy. It was like standing at the starting line ready to sprint, only for the referee to announce on the spot that she had already advanced to the next round.

Shen Qingruo hadn’t thought of herself as particularly “bad” before, but after meeting this kid, she realized she quite enjoyed teasing her.

After they exchanged WeChat, she winked and smiled at Meng Chi. “We agreed on one yuan earlier, so I can’t bully you too much. Now that we have each other’s contact info, it’ll be easier for me to ‘pay back my debt.'”