Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 21.2

Li Xuzhi followed behind her, feeling both joyful and helpless. She had planned to buy Huo Yuwan some clothes while shopping today, and the birthday cake alone was already enough of a surprise.

Moreover, when she had earlier remarked that high heels were prettier, it wasn’t because she actually wanted a pair…

This little fool.

Hearing this, Huo Yuwan, who was seriously selecting shoes, replied without looking up, “Those weren’t from me.”

Even though Li Xuzhi knew Huo Yuwan didn’t mean it the way she had interpreted, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter.

Their hands were still intertwined, and their words carried such ambiguity that the nearby shop assistant hurried over to introduce shoes to Huo Yuwan.

“Are you buying these for your girlfriend, miss? You might want to take a look at this classic nude high heel, it suits your girlfriend’s temperament perfectly.”

Huo Yuwan, who had been examining the nude high heels, silently glanced at the assistant, then turned to look at Li Xuzhi.

Li Xuzhi was gazing at a nearby display case, her expression calm, as if she hadn’t heard the assistant’s words.

Thank goodness she didn’t hear. Their relationship was purely a noble friendship, what girlfriend nonsense… Huo Yuwan pursed her lips uncomfortably and averted her gaze, though her flushed ears betrayed her not-so-innocent thoughts.

Only after Huo Yuwan looked away did Li Xuzhi slowly shift her gaze, letting out a quiet sigh of relief as she lowered her eyes and curved her lips into a faint smile.

The nude high heels recommended by the assistant were indeed beautiful. After browsing the store, Huo Yuwan also felt they were the prettiest pair and best matched Li Xuzhi’s gentle and elegant demeanor.

“Dr. Li, try them on. I’m sure they’ll look gorgeous on you.”

She had unconsciously started to act coquettish again.

Perhaps sensing Huo Yuwan’s determination to buy them no matter what, Li Xuzhi smiled helplessly and gave in.

As she smoothed her skirt and sat on the sofa, Huo Yuwan was already crouching beside her, holding the shoes.

Under the girl’s intense gaze, Li Xuzhi gently pressed her lips together, the tips of her ears hidden behind her black hair tinged with a faint pink.

The heels were two centimeters higher than her usual shoes. Noticing this, Huo Yuwan grew concerned. “Will they be uncomfortable?”

She had been too focused on the style and hadn’t paid attention to the heel height.

“They won’t.”

Li Xuzhi shook her head gently with a smile. Once she had them on, Huo Yuwan raised her arm, intending to offer support so Li Xuzhi could stand more easily. But Li Xuzhi simply grasped her hand and stood up.

Slightly taken aback, Huo Yuwan tightened her grip on Li Xuzhi’s fingers and led her to the mirror.

The heel height didn’t affect Li Xuzhi’s walking. After trying them on and walking around the store for a while, she casually tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. When she turned back, she met Huo Yuwan’s hastily averted gaze.

In Huo Yuwan’s eyes lingered an unmistakable, unreserved admiration that she hadn’t had time to conceal.

Not daring to meet Li Xuzhi’s eyes again, Huo Yuwan listened to the thunderous beating of her own heart and hurried off to pay.

Left behind, Li Xuzhi watched her retreating figure with a profound gaze.

…

At noon, the two had lunch at a Western restaurant in the mall. While waiting for their food, Huo Yuwan got up first to use the restroom.

She felt she was becoming more and more unusual, her face would flush, and her heart would race inexplicably whenever she was with Li Xuzhi. It was truly strange.

Standing in front of the sink, she bent over, cupped her hands, and splashed water on her face to cool down.

“In my opinion, there isn’t a single woman our Qiu Yuan isn’t good enough for. Yet, that Li Xuzhi puts on airs all day, acting aloof and indifferent toward him. What a nuisance.”

Two middle-aged women, dressed in luxurious attire, entered the restroom and stood next to Huo Yuwan, touching up their makeup while their mouths never stopped moving.

“She doesn’t even realize how old she is, seven or eight years older than our Qiu Yuan. What right does she have to act so pretentious?”

Mrs. Qi’s tone was resentful. Seeing that the only other person nearby was an unfamiliar young woman, she continued venting to the noblewoman beside her without restraint.

Huo Yuwan sneered inwardly, straightened up, and shook her hands, splattering the remaining water droplets onto Mrs. Qi beside her.

“Goodness! Don’t you have any manners, young lady?”

Mrs. Qi wiped the water stains off her clothes in disgust and glared angrily at Huo Yuwan.

“Two-faced behavior. If you don’t like her, then keep your son from chasing after her.”

“On the surface, you act all friendly and try to set them up every day, but behind her back, you speak ill of Dr. Li like this. It seems the Qi family is full of people who are all show and no substance.”

Mrs. Qi was momentarily stunned by her words, then quickly realized this person must know Li Xuzhi, perhaps even be her friend.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her companion seemed to be pondering Huo Yuwan’s words. Mrs. Qi immediately felt a surge of anger at being exposed.

At the same time, her mind cleared. She had only spoken those harsh words because the resentment had been building up inside her for days, and she couldn’t hold back. If she were to argue with this girl now, it would only cause trouble for her husband.

“Some ill-mannered girl who came out of nowhere, barging into our conversation like a madwoman. Mrs. Li, pay her no mind. Let’s go.”

Maintaining her composure, Mrs. Qi forced a smile and tried to leave as if nothing had happened.

But as soon as she turned around, she saw Li Xuzhi standing at the restroom entrance.

It was unclear how long she had been there or how much she had overheard.

Swallowing nervously, Mrs. Qi forced a stiff smile and tried to greet her.

“If you think so little of me, Auntie, why do you keep bringing Qi Qiu Yuan to visit me repeatedly, causing trouble for both sides?”

Li Xuzhi had initially intended to ignore her, but hearing her insult Huo Yuwan had stirred her anger. Pressing her lips together, she spoke bluntly.

“Xuzhi, don’t listen to that girl’s nonsense. I…”

In just a moment, Mrs. Qi was already sweating profusely.

Qi Qiu Yuan had just promised his father that he would win Li Xuzhi over, and now she had caused this mess.

Without another glance at her, Li Xuzhi walked over and noticed the water still glistening on Huo Yuwan’s face. She sighed softly, took out a tissue, and gently wiped it dry.

Huo Yuwan had felt a bit awkward at first, but when she caught Mrs. Qi glaring at her furiously from the corner of her eye, she leaned in closer to Li Xuzhi.

How blind could they be? How dare they slander and belittle someone as wonderful as Dr. Li?

…

While having lunch together, Huo Yuwan’s phone chimed with a special notification tone she had set.

Frowning slightly in confusion, she took out her phone to check.

When she saw what was displayed on the screen, she nearly gasped in delight.

She had expected Qi Qiu Yuan to try something against her, but she hadn’t anticipated he would be this impatient.

Just yesterday, she had stirred up animosity, and today Qi Qiuyuan couldn’t wait to take matters into her own hands.

What’s more, she had chosen the very method Huo Yuwan least expected when it came to guarding against her.

It seemed she had truly infuriated her. Huo Yuwan sighed inwardly.

In the locker room behind the school’s sports field, every athlete had their own dedicated locker. As a precaution, Huo Yuwan had installed a hidden camera inside her locker yesterday afternoon, right after joining the team. She had even set it to facial recognition lock, so that if anyone other than her appeared in the frame, the connected app would send her an alert.

And now, Qi Qiuyuan was brazenly positioned right in the center of the screen.

Inside the locker were Huo Yuwan’s running shoes and a set of athletic wear. Qi Qiuyuan, with clear intent, took out the running shoes.

Just as she was about to crouch down and hide something from her pocket inside the shoes, Qi Qiuyuan’s phone rang.

Nervously silencing the ringtone, Qi Qiuyuan saw that the caller was her mother. After confirming that she had locked the locker room door from the inside, she answered the call in a hushed tone.

On the other end, her mother’s voice was hesitant. Only after Qi Qiuyuan urged her did she slowly recount how she had just been caught badmouthing Li Xuzhi behind her back.

Qi Qiuyuan felt her head spinning. Li Xuzhi already disliked her, and now her mother had pulled this stunt, pushing her even further away from him.

When her mother mentioned the girl accompanying Li Xuzhi, Qi Qiuyuan suddenly grew alert. After hearing a detailed description, she guessed it was Huo Yuwan.

A vein throbbed on her forehead. She took a deep breath, pulled out a long needle she had prepared from her pocket, and after a few perfunctory words, hung up the phone.

Huo Yuwan didn’t bother watching what happened next. After a moment’s thought, she sent a message to Li Yu.

If all went smoothly, the matter could be resolved by tonight.

It was all thanks to Qi Qiuyuan’s own panic-induced missteps.

“How did Yuwan find out about the arranged marriage between my family and Qi Qiuyuan’s?”

Huo Yuwan had just put down her phone after receiving Li Yu’s reply when she heard Li Xuzhi’s soft inquiry from across the table.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Huo Yuwan pursed her lips, trying to come up with an excuse to cover it up, when Li Xuzhi spoke again.

“Did Auntie tell you?”

Just like how Wen Jinjuan had revealed her birthday to her today, Li Xuzhi instinctively assumed this matter was also related to Wen Jinjuan.

Mumbling an ambiguous agreement, Huo Yuwan didn’t dare look up, afraid of giving herself away.

Perhaps her evasive demeanor was too obvious, as Li Xuzhi seemed to misinterpret something. She fell silent, her downcast eyes and quiet focus on cutting her steak exuding a sense of melancholy.

Seeing this, Huo Yuwan’s heart tightened slightly, and her tone grew urgent.

“Dr. Li, don’t let that person’s words affect you. You’re wonderful, it’s Qi Qiuyuan who isn’t worthy of you.”

Slowly lifting her gaze, Li Xuzhi met the urgency in her eyes, then smiled faintly and replied.

“I understand. Let’s eat.”

…

By the time Qi Qiuyuan was ready to leave the locker room, she realized the door wouldn’t open.

She had already unlocked it from the inside, but the door remained firmly shut.

Sweating profusely in panic, her first thought was that she had been discovered and locked in.

But today was Saturday, and aside from the school team athletes, usually no one else would come into the locker room.

Before Qi Qiuyuan entered, he had deliberately hung a “Waterway Maintenance” sign outside, which further deterred some school team members who had planned to train on the weekend.

Keeping calm internally, Qi Qiuyuan called Ding Sheng to come and open the door for him.

Feeling guilty like a thief, she didn’t dare trust anyone except Ding Sheng.

…

In the afternoon, the two watched a movie at the cinema, and by the time it ended, the evening sky was already painted red by the sunset.

Huo Yuwan was thinking about what else to do to pass the time when she suddenly heard Li Xuzhi beside her suggest, “How about having dinner at my place tonight? We haven’t eaten the cake Yuwan made herself yet.”

Nodding eagerly, Huo Yuwan agreed, “Okay, and we still need to blow out the candles and make a wish.”

With a slight smile, the two headed to the supermarket on the ground floor of the mall. Huo Yuwan had never cooked before, so everything seemed new and fascinating to her. She quietly pushed the shopping cart, following behind Li Xuzhi.

Li Xuzhi picked out a variety of ingredients, mostly meats, with only a small portion of vegetables.

Because every time she picked up a piece of meat and asked Huo Yuwan if she wanted to eat it, she would receive an enthusiastic nod and a bright, cheerful smile.

With a smile that sweet, Li Xuzhi couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

When they reached the alcohol section, Li Xuzhi finally got a shake of the head from Huo Yuwan.

Looking at the red wine and beer in her hands, Huo Yuwan put on a mature tone and advised, “Dr. Li, alcohol isn’t good for your health.”

Sensing her resistance to alcohol, Li Xuzhi felt a slight stir in her heart. “Are you allergic to alcohol?”

Shaking her head, Huo Yuwan denied it. “No, not really.”

It was just that since childhood, her master had warned her that alcohol leads to trouble, so throughout her two hundred years of life, Huo Yuwan had never touched a drop.

A gentle smile spread across Li Xuzhi’s lips as she placed the two bottles of alcohol she had selected into the shopping cart.

Meeting Huo Yuwan’s disapproving gaze, she softly explained, “It’s my birthday today. I’ll only drink a little. If I get drunk, I’ll have to trouble Yuwan to take care of me. Is that okay?”