Chapter 35
When Han Shuangshuang slowly woke the next day, she felt her head was heavy and dizzy.
Last night, it felt as though she had fought someone. Her whole body was terribly sticky.
It seemed she had sweated a lot last night.
And the scent filling her nose was sweet, mixed with the smell of cream cake.
Han Shuangshuang sat up in a daze, her hair fluffy and sticking up like it had exploded.
Those puppy eyes were innocent and confused as she looked at the curtains in the second-floor bedroom.
The curtains were drawn tightly shut, not letting in a single trace of light, so Han Shuangshuang had slept extremely peacefully that morning.
Han Shuangshuang sat there blankly and began recalling what exactly had happened last night.
She was actually lying on Shen Yuru’s bed right now, covered with Shen Yuru’s blanket.
But… Shen Yuru was not beside her.
Han Shuangshuang instinctively reached out and touched the spot where Shen Yuru usually lay. There was no warmth.
Shen Yuru had already gotten up long ago.
Han Shuangshuang habitually reached for her phone again and checked the time. It was already ten in the morning. Was she going to be late for class?
Then she looked again. Fortunately, today was Saturday, and there were no classes.
Only then did Han Shuangshuang let out a long breath.
Memories in her mind continuously returned.
Han Shuangshuang remembered that last night, she had waited for Shen Yuru until midnight before finally waiting Shen Yuru back.
And what had Shen Yuru said?
Right. Yesterday had been Shen Yuru’s birthday, but also the memorial day of Shen Yuru’s parents’ deaths?
Han Shuangshuang was filled with remorse.
Why had she not figured out the situation in advance? If Shen Yuru had not been so magnanimous, then if an ordinary person took a cake to visit someone on their parents’ memorial day and wished them a happy birthday, that person would definitely be angry.
[System: Sorry, Host. Because the original book didn’t describe this in detail either, the system didn’t know. Besides, Host didn’t ask.]
Han Shuangshuang pounded her dizzy head. This kind of thing was all about probability. She had not expected it to coincide so perfectly.
[System: Host, don’t think so much. Since you’re here, settle in. Host already transmigrated into a book. Something like that would be impossible in Host’s original world too, but didn’t it still happen? Host should properly think about how to lower Shen Yuru’s blackening value and raise her heart healing progress next. Host’s plot has made a leap-like development.]
Ever since Han Shuangshuang transmigrated into the book, the system’s prompts had actually appeared very rarely. She had treated this place as normal university life and rarely discussed things with the system, so every time the system spoke, something was definitely going to happen.
What did “a leap-like development in the plot” mean?
Han Shuangshuang was still distressed and thinking about it when she heard movement from the stairs. Shen Yuru, wearing a thin nightgown, slowly walked up to the second floor, then picked up a nightdress and threw it onto Han Shuangshuang’s face.
The moment Han Shuangshuang saw Shen Yuru’s neck and collarbone, her face immediately reddened, because Shen Yuru’s body was covered in marks from being fiercely loved.
That could not be her masterpiece from last night, right?
Han Shuangshuang tried to remember what had happened yesterday.
She remembered that last night, Shen Yuru had dragged her back into the room, and then she had sat on the sofa and watched Shen Yuru use her finger to scoop up a bit of cream and eat it.
Shen Yuru, mixed with the sweet scent of cream, had seemed very tempting. Then, as if possessed, Han Shuangshuang had stood up, hugged Shen Yuru in one go… and started gnawing on her…
After she gnawed on Shen Yuru, Shen Yuru did not push her away. After that, Han Shuangshuang’s brain burned with fever, her body heated up, and she did some…
Shen Yuru stood quietly at the doorway, arms crossed. Her long, narrow phoenix eyes looked at Han Shuangshuang faintly as she spoke in a cold, clear voice. “Go wash up quickly. You stink.”
Han Shuangshuang opened her mouth, about to retort, but the blanket slipped down from her body. Only then did she realize that she was completely bare.
“I… you…”
Han Shuangshuang hurriedly grabbed the blanket to cover herself, as if accusing Shen Yuru with her eyes.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yuru felt a little guilty. The lashes over her phoenix eyes trembled a few times. Then she lowered her head slightly, raised her hand into a fist, placed it against her lips, and coughed.
As if concealing something.
“You had a fever last night and kept clinging to me. You sweated all over. You were burning and muddleheaded. I told you to take a bath, but all you did was hum and whimper. I could only take off those dirty clothes of yours.”
Han Shuangshuang’s eyes were suspicious. She felt things definitely were not that simple.
Han Shuangshuang could only slowly put on Shen Yuru’s nightdress.
Then she supported her weak body and slowly got out of bed.
And Han Shuangshuang discovered that the thing most wrong with her was her right hand.
Her index and middle fingers felt as though they were cramping, and her wrist throbbed with pain.
She kept feeling as if someone had treated her as free labor, as a tool, and used her for an entire night.
[System: Warm reminder to Host. Shen Yuru’s current heart healing progress is 60, and Shen Yuru’s blackening value is 50. Please pay more attention to Shen Yuru’s blackening value, Host.]
Han Shuangshuang: “!”
So what exactly happened last night?
Shen Yuru’s heart healing progress had actually increased so much at once.
Han Shuangshuang’s body was still somewhat weak. When she got out of bed, she staggered a little, but she still walked in front of Shen Yuru and smiled like a blooming flower. “Sister Shen… a belated birthday blessing. Happy birthday, Sister Shen. I hope Sister Shen can be happy every day, have no worries, always be healthy, and have everything go smoothly!”
Shen Yuru looked at Han Shuangshuang’s sparkling big eyes. The two of them stared at each other earnestly without dodging.
The curtains in the second-floor room were not opened, and not a trace of sunlight came in.
Strangely enough, yesterday had been rainy and gloomy, but today, the weather was clear, and the sun was scorching.
The room with no sunlight coming in was somewhat gloomy and carried a trace of stuffy heat, as if it was hard to breathe.
Their breathing sounded especially abrupt in the quiet room.
One breath in, one breath out, back and forth, inseparable.
The light in Shen Yuru’s phoenix eyes shifted. Then she raised her hand, curled her index finger, and traced Han Shuangshuang’s little nose.
After doing this, even Shen Yuru herself froze.
Han Shuangshuang covered her nose and retreated two steps. Could it be that Shen Yuru was angry and wanted to scrape off her nose?
Shen Yuru lowered her head again and coughed twice. “You stink too much. You can’t smell it yourself, but I can. Breakfast downstairs is ready. Hurry and eat.”
After saying that, she turned and went downstairs, returning to the living room.
Han Shuangshuang watched Shen Yuru’s appearance, as though she was avoiding her at all costs.
In disbelief, she lifted her arm and smelled herself.
Was she very stinky? Why didn’t she feel that she stank?
Han Shuangshuang walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.
Shen Yuru’s nightdress fit her fairly closely, except it was more form-fitting on her than on Shen Yuru.
Because of Shen Yuru’s health, she was comparatively thin and weak-looking, and her figure was more slender.
But although her limbs were slim, she had flesh where she should have flesh, and was thin where she should be thin.
Not one bit was lacking in the places that should have curves.
Meanwhile, Han Shuangshuang’s frame was larger than Shen Yuru’s. She was a little taller than Shen Yuru, and her shoulders were broader than Shen Yuru’s. But the place in front of her chest that should grow flesh… truly had not fought for her at all.
Han Shuangshuang exhaled angrily through her nostrils, feeling that it was unfair.
Shen Yuru really was a super perfect person, without even half a flaw.
Han Shuangshuang dragged her aching right hand and resigned herself to washing up.
Listening to the rushing sound of water, Han Shuangshuang unconsciously became a little distracted.
So what exactly was her relationship with Shen Yuru now? The two of them had already done that many times.
But at the very beginning, Shen Yuru had also said that only the two of them could know about this kind of thing, and that a third person could not know.
She had even given Han Shuangshuang hush money. That meant Shen Yuru probably did not want others to know about their relationship, and Shen Yuru had not asked her to take responsibility either.
Han Shuangshuang had never dated before. Since childhood, she had lived under someone else’s roof. She also had very few friends her age, and she did not dare yearn for love.
She only knew that to please someone, one had to offer up all their sincerity. She did not ask for a response, nor did she hope that her efforts would be repaid.
So even Han Shuangshuang, who was extremely sensitive to other people’s emotional changes, did not understand what liking meant, nor did she understand what love was.
She only felt that if being with someone did not make her uncomfortable, then that meant she liked being with that person. Then she had to place all her goodness there and coax that person until they were happy.
In her original world, someone had once said Han Shuangshuang was a natural flirt, but Han Shuangshuang had not understood what a natural flirt meant.
Did being good to others and hoping others were happy count as flirting with people?
She was definitely not that kind of central-air-conditioner scumbag woman.
After Han Shuangshuang finished bathing, she sighed and began drying her hair in front of the mirror.
In any case, Shen Yuru had the final say. Shen Yuru was the main character, and Han Shuangshuang had to revolve around Shen Yuru.
So if Shen Yuru did not bring it up, Han Shuangshuang could not take the initiative to say anything either, lest she trigger Shen Yuru’s dislike.
Right now, she still had to thick-skinnedly stay around Shen Yuru’s side.
She hoped that before Shen Yuru grew tired of her, she could raise Shen Yuru’s heart healing progress to one hundred percent and lower Shen Yuru’s blackening value to zero.
That way, she would not walk the original owner’s old path and end up so destitute that she fought dogs over steamed buns.
Because Shen Yuru said she stank, Han Shuangshuang washed especially carefully, so she took a little long.
Shen Yuru knew Han Shuangshuang had a fever yesterday and had only improved a little today.
So when Han Shuangshuang stayed in the bathroom for so long, Shen Yuru could not help worrying.
She was afraid Han Shuangshuang might encounter an overly hot environment and faint inside.
When she heard the shower stop, Shen Yuru slowly walked up to the second floor, sat on the bed, and watched the movement in the bathroom.
But she had not sat for long before she saw Han Shuangshuang’s phone vibrate.
One message after another popped up.
Shen Yuru was not someone who gossiped, nor was she interested in other people’s privacy.
But after Han Shuangshuang’s phone screen lit up, her gaze just happened to land on Han Shuangshuang’s phone.
She also just happened to see that the message had been sent to Han Shuangshuang by Shi Nianxue.
And she also just happened to see the content of the message Shi Nianxue had sent.
This series of events was all coincidence.
There was not even half a trace of conscious intent.
Even the anger that rose in her heart after seeing the content of the message happened to rise by coincidence.
It was as though after she had pulled open the curtains just a moment ago, the sunlight shining on her face had felt especially uncomfortable.
Even her body felt as though it was burning hot. That irritated emotion caused by sunlight suddenly rose, reaching its peak.
Shi Nianxue: [I already found a place. When are you moving over? Do you need me to help you go to Shen Yuru’s residence and move your things over?]
Shen Yuru wanted to pull her gaze away from Han Shuangshuang’s phone, but those phoenix eyes seemed disobedient and stared tightly at it.
Only when Han Shuangshuang finished drying her hair and turned the bathroom door handle with a click did Shen Yuru come back to herself and stiffly raise her head.
Han Shuangshuang followed Shen Yuru’s gaze and saw her own phone too.
But after a while, the message notification disappeared and the phone screen went black, so Han Shuangshuang did not see Shi Nianxue’s message.
However, Han Shuangshuang, who was extremely sensitive to emotional changes, still keenly sensed that something was off about Shen Yuru.
“Sister Shen, what’s wrong?”
Han Shuangshuang was not wearing a bra.
Shen Yuru raised her head and saw Han Shuangshuang wearing her nightdress. Han Shuangshuang’s delicate collarbones and sharp right-angled shoulders were exposed, her skin fine, smooth, and fair. Although she was not cold white like Shen Yuru, she was still several degrees fairer than an ordinary person, and her body was smooth without a single flaw.
Compared to most girls, Han Shuangshuang even had a little muscle unexpectedly.
She looked a bit sturdier than others, perhaps because her frame was bigger.
Shen Yuru turned her head and stood up. Her tone was much colder than before. “Nothing. Go downstairs and eat.”
Han Shuangshuang tilted her head, somewhat confused, but still habitually grabbed her phone from the bed and followed Shen Yuru downstairs.
Han Shuangshuang saw that breakfast had already been prepared on the kitchen table.
There was a warmed cup of milk.
There were also two slices of toasted bread. Beside the bread was a slightly burnt egg and bacon whose edges were already charred.
Han Shuangshuang: “…”
Why did she suddenly feel a little moved?
“Sister Shen, these… couldn’t have been made by you, right?”
Han Shuangshuang found it hard to imagine how someone who could not cook could make simple ingredients taste that bad.
Just like Han Shuangshuang could not understand why Shen Yuru would add vinegar and salt when frying an egg.
Shen Yuru sat across from Han Shuangshuang without eating anything. Her elbow rested on the table, and her palm supported her cheek. Those phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed as she looked at Han Shuangshuang calmly.
Han Shuangshuang felt a chill run through her.
“Sister Shen… what’s wrong?”
Shen Yuru withdrew that cold and clear gaze of hers, changed direction, and pushed over the cup of soy milk Han Shuangshuang had bought for her yesterday.
The soy milk had long since been poured into a glass and reheated.
Shen Yuru had not thrown away the soy milk packaging either. It was placed neatly to the side, and one glance showed it had been carefully arranged.
“Nothing.” Shen Yuru replied rather coldly, then pretended not to care as she casually asked, “This soy milk does taste quite good. I heard one has to queue for a very long time to buy it, and it’s also rather far from our school. I wasn’t sure if you bought it for me, so I only dared taste one sip. I heated the rest. Keep it for yourself and drink it.”
Han Shuangshuang felt that she absolutely was not avoiding that poached egg, which smelled somewhat salty and sour.
Instead, she wanted to righteously explain to Shen Yuru, “I bought it specially for Sister Shen. I didn’t even know where that shop was. Yesterday, I specifically asked Yan Huan, and Yan Huan showed me the way. And I even rushed there before that shop closed and snatched the very last cup of soy milk. It’s hand-ground. I saw the machine.”
The corner of Shen Yuru’s phoenix eyes trembled lightly, and her index finger paused. “You only knew the exact location yesterday? You’d never drunk it before, and never… bought it before?”
Han Shuangshuang nodded with extreme certainty. “Right. It’s so far from school. Who would be idle enough to go that far just to buy a cup of soy milk? The cafeteria’s is enough to get by with, even if it tastes like soy milk powder… If Sister Shen hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have gone to buy it. But as long as it’s something Sister Shen wants, I’ll climb mountains of blades and descend seas of fire to buy it for Sister Shen without hesitation.”
Shen Yuru pouted, as though knowing Han Shuangshuang was glib-tongued. “Your little mouth is smeared with honey. You only know how to fool me.”
Although Shen Yuru said this, the aura of keeping others a thousand miles away around her suddenly lowered by a lot.
Han Shuangshuang said, “I’m not lying. Sister Shen mentioned it the day before yesterday, and didn’t I buy it today?”
At this moment, Han Shuangshuang’s phone vibrated again.
Shen Yuru also raised her head and followed Han Shuangshuang’s gaze.
Han Shuangshuang frowned. “Why is Shi Nianxue sending me messages again? She’s even telling me to go live at her place. How is that possible? I don’t even want to have anything to do with the Han family.”
Shen Yuru’s heart jumped. Following Han Shuangshuang’s words, she asked casually, “What, is your relationship with Shi Nianxue not good? I actually feel that this ex-girlfriend of yours thinks of you in every way.”
“What ex-girlfriend? Shi Nianxue was once the adopted daughter my mother took in, and my older sister in name. When I was little and didn’t know better, I followed behind her. But after my mother passed away, she actually took my father’s money and went abroad to study. During those years when she wasn’t around, I was bullied terribly by my stepmother and Han Ruhua, and I didn’t see her come help me. Now that she’s returned successful and accomplished, every time she sees me, she lectures me. She even wants me to live with her. She’s probably helping my dad and stepmother monitor me.”
Hearing Han Shuangshuang’s words, Shen Yuru asked tentatively, “You didn’t feel that… she treats you differently in some way?”
“Differently?” Han Shuangshuang raised her head in confusion and tilted her head. “I felt it. Ever since she came back, she’s been pestering me constantly. And I clearly rejected her already. I don’t want to have any connection with her. Sister Shen, is there something on me that she wants to obtain? But I’m completely broke and alone.”
Shen Yuru suddenly felt somewhat speechless and rubbed her brow, feeling that Han Shuangshuang simply had not understood her hint.
Shen Yuru asked, “Do you think she only sees you as her younger sister?”
Sincerity and frankness were always the ultimate killers when dealing with people.
Han Shuangshuang slapped the table. “I don’t see her as my older sister at all, okay? She’s just a stranger who had some past friendship with me when we were little. Since she chose to take money and go abroad, that means the gratitude and affection between us from before had already been cut off. To my mother, that was a kind of betrayal. What difference is there between that and an ungrateful white-eyed wolf? I actually think she keeps pestering me now either because she has ulterior motives or because she feels guilty. But those are all her emotions. What right does she have to vent them on me for no reason? And she has never cared about my feelings and wishes. She just forces them onto me. That’s simply another kind of harm, okay?”
Han Shuangshuang felt that what she said was super reasonable. If Shen Yuru had not asked her today, she would not have thought of this layer.
Han Shuangshuang felt that even the original owner would not forgive Shi Nianxue.
Shi Nianxue had been lucky enough to be adopted and received benefits from the original owner’s mother, but in times of danger, she abandoned the original owner and then took someone else’s benefits.
Now that she had gained all the benefits, she returned and began looking for the original owner, saying everything she did was for the original owner’s sake. Clearly, she was atoning and reducing her own guilt.
To put it plainly, wasn’t it still for herself?
She wanted both reputation and profit. She was too greedy.
Seeing Han Shuangshuang’s troubled appearance, the corner of Shen Yuru’s mouth curved slightly. The troubles and gloom of these past few days were swept away.
It was like the dark clouds that had covered her for so long had suddenly been peeled away, and sunlight shone into her heart.
After taking a bite of bread, Han Shuangshuang patted her chest and promised Shen Yuru, “Don’t worry, Sister Shen. Since I said I like only you, I won’t get entangled unclearly with anyone else.”
Shen Yuru gave a soft hum through her nose. “Don’t say such baseless things. Eat obediently.”
Han Shuangshuang helplessly spread her hands. She knew Shen Yuru still did not believe her.
But she could not talk about the missions the system issued.
She truly was doing this for Shen Yuru’s good. After all, improving Shen Yuru’s heart and lowering Shen Yuru’s blackening value—what part of that was not beneficial to Shen Yuru?
Shen Yuru quietly watched Han Shuangshuang eat the bread in her hand in small bites.
Han Shuangshuang’s eating manner actually had a gap-moe compared to her personality.
Although she did not eat in tiny, delicate bites like an affected lady, she was still very refined and did not smack her lips. The bread puffed her cheeks into two little bulges.
Han Shuangshuang chewed slowly like that, her two sparkling big eyes darting around. She was simply a doggo being fed and feeling extremely happy.
Shen Yuru said, “The cake from yesterday wasn’t finished. It’s still in the fridge. Remember to eat it later.”
The moment cake was mentioned, Han Shuangshuang felt a little regretful. “I completely forgot to take pictures. It rained the whole time yesterday too. I don’t know if the cream melted or not. When the shop manager saw me make that cake, she was super gratified and said I was super talented.”
When Shen Yuru heard Han Shuangshuang mention the shop manager, she frowned, feeling that Han Shuangshuang seemed to be hiding something from her. “I forgot to ask. Where did you buy this cake? A cake of this quality and type shouldn’t be cheap. Where did you get so much money to buy cake? You mentioned a shop manager… Did you make it yourself? Did you make it at that dessert shop?”
Although Han Shuangshuang would say some credit-claiming words to achieve her goals, she felt that working part-time to buy Shen Yuru a cake was something she had decided on her own. There was no need to describe it in a flowery way as though she had made some huge dedication or sacrifice.
Moreover, yesterday had been Shen Yuru’s birthday and also the death anniversary of Shen Yuru’s parents. This had simply backfired.
Han Shuangshuang sighed in her heart again.
Shen Yuru’s personality was truly good. She had not blamed her for this and had even taken her in.
Han Shuangshuang said, “Nothing much. It’s just… I knew I didn’t have enough money, so I stood there pitifully outside the dessert shop. Maybe the shop manager thought I was pitiful, so she let me use some materials cheaply and freely make something myself. So this cake didn’t cost much either. But… I really did make it with my own hands.”
After Han Shuangshuang finished speaking, she immediately lowered her head and ate the fried egg Shen Yuru had made, trying to change the subject.
She did not want Shen Yuru to keep bringing up this matter.
But unexpectedly, after taking only a small bite of the fried egg, the taste rushed straight into her nose, nearly making tears come out.
How could a fried egg be sour, salty, and bitter at the same time?
The fried egg would feel wronged too.
Shen Yuru frowned. Her index and middle fingers tapped back and forth on the table somewhat irritably, making a tick-tock sound. “So these past few days, you’ve been leaving early and returning late, coming back so late at night because you went to work at the dessert shop?”
She was not blind. Of course she had seen the huge part-time recruitment sign stuck outside the dessert shop.
Han Shuangshuang’s puppy eyes filled with tears from how bad the taste was.
Hearing Shen Yuru’s words, she raised her head in surprise.
She had not expected Shen Yuru to guess it. She had originally wanted to do good deeds without leaving a name.
But Shen Yuru thought that Han Shuangshuang had been moved to tears because Shen Yuru had personally made her breakfast.
Last night, Shen Yuru had left Han Shuangshuang behind on her own for so long, and she had already felt somewhat uncomfortable in her heart.
Now Han Shuangshuang had eaten the fried egg she made and was moved to this state.
An indescribable feeling surged in Shen Yuru’s heart even more.
It was like a hand had grabbed her heart, making her feel so stifled she could barely breathe.
So Shen Yuru pushed the fried egg in front of her toward Han Shuangshuang. “Why are you crying? How useless. It’s just breakfast made for you. If you want to eat… I’ll make more for you.”
Han Shuangshuang felt that her sense of taste was about to fail.
Her mouth was only chewing mechanically by instinct, and tears kept streaming down.
Moved… she really did not dare move.
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