MQSP - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
"I just came to freeload a meal, what are you so nervous about?" Fang Yi looked at Xiao Ye, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. It wasn't the first time the girl had met her. Hadn't they gotten along well before?
"I live in the building next door. I just finished tidying up the place and moved in today. I don't have anything at home, so I had no choice but to come scrounge a meal from my neighbors. Shouldn't neighbors help each other out? Can't you all be a little more welcoming? I've been sitting here for ages, and I don't even have a bowl and chopsticks?"
Baiye froze for a few moments. Auntie Fang's tone and words didn't sound like she was here to cause trouble or had any ill intent. Besides, she didn't seem surprised to see her here, as if she'd known all along.
With that thought, Baiye got up, went to the kitchen, and brought back a clean set of bowl and chopsticks. She served Fang Yi a small bowl of rice and placed it in front of her.
"Thanks." Fang Yi smiled at her. "Did you make all these dishes?"
"Yes," Baiye nodded timidly.
Fang Yi was exasperated. "Alright, I'm not here to make trouble, and I won't tell anyone what's going on in this house. Can the three of you please stop looking like you're facing a mortal enemy? Can you just relax and have a nice meal?"
Baiye turned her head to look at Lin Yuqing.
"Let's eat," Lin Yuqing said, nodding at her.
Fang Yi was undoubtedly the one who enjoyed the meal the most, frequently praising Xiao Ye's cooking skills.
Seeing Xiao Ye eating distractedly, Fang Yi picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her bowl. "Eat more. Look how thin you are."
"Huh?" Before Xiao Ye could react, Lin Yuqing had already snatched the meat with her chopsticks and popped it into her own mouth.
Lin Yuqing then picked up some vegetables for Xiao Ye. "Her back injury hasn't healed yet. She needs to watch what she eats."
Fang Yi's eyes widened in understanding. "My apologies, that was thoughtless of me." She delivered the earnest apology in a way that left one completely baffled.
After dinner, Xiao Ye and Xia Xiaozi were cleaning up in the kitchen. Both of them kept poking their heads out to glance upstairs, where Fang Yi had gone into Lin Yuqing's room. They had no idea what the two were talking about.
Xia Xiaozi's mind was racing. Fang Yi couldn't really be here to snatch Xiao Ye away, could she?
"Auntie? Auntie!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Was it because I gave her the sandwich you made? Did she figure out our relationship because of that?" Xiao Ye mulled it over and over. She couldn't think of any other way her connection to Auntie Lin could have been exposed. Besides, from what Auntie Fang had said earlier, it was obvious she'd recognized that her aunt had made the sandwich.
"I doubt it. It's also possible she noticed something when I went to the hospital with you yesterday and seemed overly concerned. Anyway, stop worrying. So what if she found out? It's not like she's going to eat you."
"I'm afraid it will have a negative impact on Auntie Lin…"
"It's fine. Fang Yi isn't some treacherous villain. And since she came here so openly, she's probably not trying to target your Auntie Lin."
"Is there some kind of grudge between them?" Baiye was very curious. It wasn't just Auntie Fang; there was also Teacher Lu and Xue Yuexian. She always felt they were rather hostile toward Auntie Lin.
"Uhm…" Xia Xiaozi hemmed and hawed, finding it difficult to explain.
Meanwhile, in Lin Yuqing's room.
"Is it her?" Fang Yi had shed her playful dinner demeanor and was looking at Lin Yuqing with a grave expression.
Lin Yuqing didn't answer. She glanced at her, pulled open a desk drawer, and began rummaging through it for something.
"It is her, isn't it," Fang Yi said again before Lin Yuqing could reply, her tone certain.
Lin Yuqing smiled and looked up at Fang Yi. "How did you know Xinran had a daughter?"
Hearing that reply, a warmth spread through Fang Yi's chest. No matter how much she had suspected, guessed, investigated, and tried to verify, nothing was as staggering as that single sentence from Lin Yuqing.
"It really is her… She's really Xinran's daughter!?" Fang Yi was overcome with emotion, her eyes turning red. To think that after so many years, she would meet the daughter of her departed friend!
"You'd already verified it, hadn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here."
Fang Yi seemed a bit dazed. She sat on the sofa to collect herself. "Yes. From the first moment I saw her, I was suspicious. I looked into her family through her school and found Xia Nan, who adopted an orphan thirteen years ago. Add to that the 'auntie' Xiao Ye always talks about, and that sandwich, which convinced me she meant Xia Xiaozi. Xia Xiaozi wouldn't know Xinran had a child, but her sister just happened to adopt Xiao Ye. That's too much of a coincidence. So I guessed someone must have been pulling the strings behind the scenes. As for who… I couldn't think of anyone but you. You and Xinran were the closest when she was alive. It's not impossible that she entrusted her child to you before she died."
Lin Yuqing nodded, impressed by Fang Yi's perceptiveness. "But how did you know she existed?" To protect Xiao Ye, Xinran had likely never mentioned the child to anyone. Lin Yuqing herself had only found out by chance when she saw Xinran secretly looking at a photo of the child. When she'd asked out of curiosity, Xinran had been overjoyed to tell her everything.
"It was also by chance. Around that time, whenever Xinran had a free moment, she'd be flipping through a dictionary. She even asked me what would be a good name if she and Yilan had a child. I didn't think much of it at the time, just assumed she was planning for the future. I even joked with her, saying why not call her 'Gu De Bai'…" Fang Yi couldn't help but laugh. Lin Yuqing shot her a look. What kind of god-awful name is that…
"Then Xinran got anxious and blurted out, 'That name is too unlucky! How could my daughter have a name like that!' She said 'my daughter' then. But she didn't have a child yet, so how could she be so certain her child would be a girl?"
"I was a little suspicious at the time, but I didn't press her about it."
"After she passed away, I tried to investigate, but there was no news of a child at all. I just assumed I was overthinking it, that maybe she had just been hoping for a daughter."
After she finished, Fang Yi fell silent for a moment, composing herself.
"Alright, now it's your turn to tell me what really happened."
At her words, Lin Yuqing took a phone out of the drawer. The model was very old, but it was well-maintained. She fiddled with it for a moment before holding it up for Fang Yi to see.
"Right before she died, Xinran gave me a call."
"What did she say!?" Fang Yi took the phone, her gaze lost as she stared at the familiar number.
"This call… I missed it." Lin Yuqing sighed and took the phone back.
"Because it only rang once before hanging up. I didn't have time to answer."
"It wasn't until the next day, when the news broke that Xinran had drowned herself, that I remembered that call. She must have already been prepared to follow Yilan, but had a lingering attachment she couldn't let go of. And just as I thought, there was no mention of a child in any of the reports."
"I investigated secretly and discovered that after Yilan's accident, someone took the child away amidst the chaos."
"Who!?" Fang Yi was shocked. Didn't that mean someone else besides the two of them knew Xiao Ye's identity?
"Xinran's own sister, Gu Xinyuan."
"I thought Gu Xinyuan would treat the child well. I never imagined she would raise a hand to such a small child, beating and abusing her, just to seize the inheritance rights to Xinran's estate from her."
Lin Yuqing gritted her teeth in anger as she spoke. She would never forget the day she found Xiao Ye. The little one's pale face had a streak of dried blood on it, and her cautious, trembling demeanor was heartbreaking to see.
Then she remembered how Gu Xinran would secretly look at the child's photo, terrified of being discovered, treasuring it beyond measure. When she spoke of her daughter, her face was filled with doting pride. She would stroke the photo, her eyes full of love, and say, "This is the little angel heaven gave me. I want her to grow up happy and joyful, just like a princess in a fairy tale!"
But the little angel she had held in the palm of her hand, cherished in the core of her heart, had been bullied and abused by others, forced to endure pain at such a young age that she never should have. The mere thought of it was like a needle piercing Lin Yuqing's heart.
Fang Yi clenched her fists. "That bitch Gu Xinyuan. I'll make her pay for this!"
"It's my fault. If only I hadn't been filming out of town back then. At least I could have been with her to face it all, to protect the child and spare her from that harm."
"Xiao Ye… she doesn't remember any of this, does she?"
"No. Probably because of the abuse she suffered at Gu Xinyuan's, she instinctively refuses to recall those memories. She doesn't even know her own origins. She just thinks she's an orphan, insecure, always living cautiously and on edge. I haven't told her any of this yet. I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it. I want to wait until she's willing to open her heart, until she's brave enough to remember, and then I'll tell her. I'll tell her what wonderful people her two mothers were."
Fang Yi nodded. "Don't worry, I'll keep this secret."
"Fang Yi, I don't want Xiao Ye to get too deep into this industry. But she loves acting. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't bear to see her so sad and disappointed."
"I understand. I had the same idea, which is why I never reported her contract to the company. She just needs to do what she loves. I'll handle everything else. You can rest assured."
"Okay."
"Lin Yuqing, I have one more question for you." Fang Yi's expression grew solemn. She stood up and slowly walked toward Lin Yuqing.
Lin Yuqing met her gaze, which was extremely piercing.
"Do you trust me," Lin Yuqing asked.
Xia Xiaozi helped Xiao Ye apply her medicine and gave her a sponge bath. Just as they finished, the conversation between Fang Yi and Lin Yuqing seemed to be winding down.
Fang Yi seemed ready to leave. Out of politeness, Baiye came out of her bedroom to see her off.
To her surprise, Fang Yi's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
"Auntie Fang, what's wrong?" Baiye was startled and instinctively glanced back at Lin Yuqing, only to find that Auntie Lin's eyes were red too! Did the two of them have a good cry together?
Fang Yi looked at her and gave a small smile. She walked slowly over, raised a hand to stroke her cheek, a doting smile on her face.
Baiye was a bit stunned. The look in Auntie Fang's eyes was filled with a deep affection that she couldn't quite understand.
"Get some rest. Good night," Fang Yi said softly. She took a step forward and gently hugged the little one, her lips brushing against Xiao Ye's temple in a very light, fleeting kiss.
"I'm heading back." She released the little one and nodded to Lin Yuqing.
"Okay."
Even after Fang Yi had left, Xiao Ye was still in a daze. Auntie Fang is being so strange…
"Auntie Lin, what's gotten into Auntie Fang?" she asked Lin Yuqing, her face a mask of confusion.
"She likes you, obviously."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Lin Yuqing smiled. "Did you put on your medicine?"
"Yes, I did."
"Did you wash up?"
"I did. Auntie just helped me."
Lin Yuqing pouted slightly. Since when was Xia Xiaozi so diligent? Meddling where she wasn't needed!
"Then go back to bed."
Lin Yuqing hadn't even had the chance to say, 'You can sleep in my room,' before the little one wished her a good night and went straight back to her own room.
Eh? Why aren't you being clingy now???
In the bedroom, Lin Yuqing sat at her desk, holding the old phone and carefully composing a text message.
It was a habit of hers. Every so often, she would compose a message and send it to Gu Xinran's number. Even though the number was no longer in service and the messages never went through, she had persisted, day in and day out, for ten years.
There was a knock on the door. Lin Yuqing's hands paused. She placed the phone face down and put it back in the drawer.
"Come in."
"Auntie Lin." Xiao Ye looked like she had something heavy on her mind.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Did I… cause any trouble for you?" Baiye entered the room and stood awkwardly to the side.
"Hm?" Lin Yuqing paused for a second, then understood.
"Fang Yi?"
"Yes." Her face was full of worry.
Lin Yuqing smiled. "It's fine. Fang Yi isn't a bad person, and she promised to keep this a secret. You don't need to worry about it. Just act the same way you did before. Don't distance yourself from her; she won't hurt you."
"Why did she hug me and kiss me? The way she looked at me was different from before. What did you two talk about? Are you hiding something from me?"
Faced with Xiao Ye's barrage of questions, Lin Yuqing felt a headache coming on. That Fang Yi really knew how to stir up trouble.
Lin Yuqing stood up, walked over to Xiao Ye, and patted her on the head. "No more questions, and don't overthink it. Go to sleep." She glanced at her own bed.
The little one wasn't satisfied, but she followed Lin Yuqing's gaze to the bed. "Sleep here?"
"Yes. Don't you want to?"
"I do!" With absolutely no principles, she tossed all her questions to the back of her mind.
The little one flopped onto the bed, a unique sense of satisfaction filling her heart. She could now climb into Auntie Lin's bed openly and justifiably!
Hey, wait, how could I describe myself like that… ahem.
"Sleep on your side. Don't always lie on your stomach, you'll crush them and they won't grow." Lin Yuqing finished her nightly routine. With her hair down, she wore only a sheer, translucent nightgown. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she casually ran her fingers through her hair.
One glance was enough to send the little one's heart racing. She remembered the sight of Auntie Lin's bare back she'd accidentally seen the other day. The thought was like a cat scratching at her heart, making it itch unbearably. She couldn't help but sneak another peek at Auntie Lin.
Oh my god! Auntie Lin isn't wearing a bra!!! Wait… where am I looking? This is so embarrassing…!
OMG! Her nightgown isn't tied properly, and her impressive cleavage is on full display!!!
Aaaah! Her thighs are so pale and smooth, her skin is so nice, I really want to touch them!!!
Ahhhhhh Auntie Lin's waist!!! I can still faintly see the lines of her abs!!!
Baiye felt a tickle in her nose. She was probably about to have another pathetic nosebleed…
The little one couldn't hold back. A mischievous hand snuck out uncontrollably toward Lin Yuqing's toned stomach.
Lin Yuqing was applying lotion when she caught sight of the little one's pale little paw inching toward her out of the corner of her eye. It was clearly up to no good. And the girl had completely ignored what she'd just said. Who knew what was going on in that little head of hers.
Lin Yuqing pretended not to notice, wanting to see what she would do. But the little paw merely brushed against her skin before retracting as if shocked. The little one then buried her face in the covers, decisively playing the part of a turtle hiding in its shell. Does this kid really think I can't see her just because she's hiding in her shell?
Lin Yuqing found it hilarious. This little pervert.
Lin Yuqing tugged at the covers but couldn't move them. The little one was holding on tight, her head buried but her body completely exposed. She was truly all head and no tail. Seeing this, Lin Yuqing raised her hand and gave her round little bottom a light slap, leaving a faint handprint. "The more I talk, the bolder you get."
"Oof…" The little turtle finally poked her head out, clutching her bottom and looking pitifully at Auntie Lin. However, it would have been better if she hadn't looked. That one glance revealed Auntie Lin propped up on one hand, half-turned, her nightgown having slipped to an angle that offered a full view of the scenery. The little one immediately whipped her head to the side. It's over, it's over, it's over! Having a nosebleed in front of Auntie Lin would be mortifying!!!
"Lin… Auntie Lin… can you please put on some proper clothes…" Baiye pinched her nose, her voice muffled.
Lin Yuqing froze for a second, then glanced down at herself. Her old face couldn't help but blush. How utterly embarrassing. She shot a look at the little one, then went to the wardrobe and changed into an opaque nightgown.
"If you're going to be picky again, you can go back to your own room to sleep," she grumbled.
That sheer nightgown was so cool and comfortable. It was a thin, silky layer that wasn't sticky, her favorite one to wear.
"Mm, not picky, not picky, I'm not picky!" Baiye nodded her head rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain.
Once she was settled, Lin Yuqing got into bed. The little one obediently unfolded the covers for her. Lin Yuqing turned up the AC temperature a bit and dimmed the lights. "Should I turn it off?"
"Mhm," Baiye nodded. Yes, turn off the light! Then she won't see my blushing cheeks!
Once the light was off, Baiye breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Auntie Lin hadn't discovered her drooling over her body. Otherwise, her image as a pure and well-behaved girl would have been shattered!
The little one didn't close her eyes to sleep right away. If she remembered correctly, this was the first time she was consciously sleeping in the same covers with Auntie Lin, right? Before, she had brought her own quilt over. Even though they were in the same bed, they hadn't slept under the same blanket. The very thought was exciting~
With that thought, the little one was wide awake. She couldn't resist secretly scooting closer to Auntie Lin. She had just shifted a tiny bit when her leg brushed against Auntie Lin's silky, cool calf. Before she could even savor the feeling, Auntie Lin moved her leg away.
Baiye glanced at Lin Yuqing, a little unwilling to give up. She moved toward her again, and made contact!
Lin Yuqing moved her leg away again and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp.
I'm done for!
Baiye's heart leaped. She immediately squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep, hoping to feign that her previous movements had been unconscious.
However, Lin Yuqing wasn't thinking along those lines. She grabbed a bolster pillow from the head of the bed and stuffed it between them. "Hold this."
"Eh?"
"It seems like you can't sleep soundly unless you're holding something. Hold this. It's perfect for sleeping on your side, so you don't press on your chest and stunt its growth." After saying that, Lin Yuqing turned off the light. When they were filming today, she had touched the little one's chest. It was small and soft, like two little steamed buns. For someone her age, wasn't that considered underdeveloped?
Besides, she always slept flat on her stomach, which must press on them a little. How could she grow up healthy like that! She was already nineteen. She had the "curvy behind" part of the equation, but the other half needed to catch up!
Baiye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Auntie Lin's focus seemed to have drifted to a very strange place…?
"Go to sleep." Lin Yuqing had just closed her eyes when she added, "Oh, and you're not allowed to sleep on top of me." It was a stern reminder. She recalled the last time they'd slept together; the kid had draped half her body weight over her, straddling and hugging her all night, impossible to push off. The memory still made her a little wary. She was so well-behaved when Lin Yuqing held her, so why did she go wild when she wasn't being held? But with the injury on her back, it wasn't good to hold her. What if she accidentally hurt her? The girl would just endure it in silence.
"Mmm… I'll try…" she mumbled, obediently hugging the pillow, feeling a little wronged.
"One more thing." Lin Yuqing opened her eyes again and turned to look at Baiye. "No more secretly kissing me."
That one sentence made Xiao Ye's face flush crimson in an instant. Auntie Lin… knows I've been secretly kissing her…!!
"I… Who's been secretly kissing you? I haven't…" The little one was a little… no, she was very flustered. She turned her back in a panic. "Hiss…" She had accidentally put pressure on her injury.
Lin Yuqing frowned, quickly shifting closer and gently rubbing her back. "I told you not to move around!" Though she was clearly worried about the little one, her tone was fierce.
"Auntie Lin, it doesn't hurt anymore. Let's sleep." Her body ached, but her heart was warm. She hugged the pillow tightly, imagining it was Auntie Lin.
"Okay."
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