After Marrying the Cold and Elegant Beauty, I Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 23.2

She was immediately cut off. Shen Yuru extended an index finger—white and tender as a scallion—and pressed it against Han Shuangshuang’s lips, sealing her words inside.

“Sister Han and I have no relationship. You don’t need to explain, and I won’t misunderstand anything,” Shen Yuru said leisurely, her voice growing lighter, accompanied by an unmistakable “sourness” (jealousy) in the air.

Han Shuangshuang grabbed Shen Yuru’s finger, wanting to make a pitiful explanation so her Blackening Value wouldn’t spike. Just then, Shi Nianxue’s voice came from behind them.

“Han Shuangshuang, I didn’t expect you to miss me this much. I guess we really do have ‘telepathy.'”

Han Shuangshuang felt her hair stand on end; that “cloying” (sweet) voice was terrifying. Hearing it, Shen Yuru silently backed away two steps, creating distance. Her phoenix eyes turned icy, and a self-mocking smile touched her lips. Her gaze seemed to say: See? I was right.

Shi Nianxue looked quite happy to see her. “Shuangshuang, did you come here specifically to find me? My classroom isn’t here; let me take you to get familiar with it, so you don’t go to the wrong place next time.”

The way Shi Nianxue acted so familiar made Han Shuangshuang uncomfortable. She didn’t know the full history between the host and this girl. Moreover, Shi Nianxue’s smile was quite eerie, as if she were up to no good. Her body instinctively rejected the contact.

Shi Nianxue ignored the resistance and grabbed Han’s wrist. “Oh, Senior Shen is here too. I didn’t see you just now, my apologies. Well, sorry, I’m taking my ‘sister’ away. The Han family is hosting a banquet this afternoon; I heard the Shen family is also invited. You must come on time, Senior; Shuangshuang and I will entertain you properly.”

When she said the word “sister,” she emphasized it pointedly for Shen Yuru to hear. Han Shuangshuang, hearing the news, forgot to struggle for a moment. A Han family banquet? Does that mean I have to return to the Han house this afternoon? This was the first time she’d heard anything about the Han family since transmigrating.

Shen Yuru’s gaze was indifferent, devoid of emotion, as it slowly fell on their joined wrists. Han Shuangshuang felt her scalp tingle. Even though Shen Yuru said nothing, she could feel her displeasure. She immediately shook off Shi Nianxue’s hand and stood behind Shen Yuru. Stay away, Shi Nianxue, don’t ruin me.

Shen Yuru felt Han Shuangshuang lean against her shoulder, watching Shi Nianxue warily. Her pursed lips relaxed slightly. Her gloomy mood was swept away.

“Going home is one thing, why are you being so touchy?” Han Shuangshuang said to Shi Nianxue from behind Shen Yuru. “Besides, I came to find Sister Shen, not you. The Han family notified you but not me; it seems my status as a daughter isn’t as important to them as your status as an adopted one.”

After speaking, she was slightly stunned and covered her mouth. The words had come out subconsciously, as if the body held a long-standing grudge and had a rejection reaction to Shi Nianxue.

Shi Nianxue acted as if she hadn’t heard the sarcasm and walked to Shen Yuru’s side. “Don’t pester Senior Shen. She’s a junior and needs to prepare for internships. She’s busy with coursework and job hunting; she doesn’t have time for your nonsense. Come find me if you need something.” She grabbed Han’s wrist again and interlaced their fingers, waving them in front of Shen Yuru.

Shen Yuru wanted to speak, but seeing this, she lost the desire. It felt like heavy chocolate stuck in her throat—unable to swallow or spit out, just bothersome and uncomfortable.

[System: Warning! Warning! Shen Yuru’s emotions have been triggered. Her Blackening Value is fluctuating. Please resolve this immediately.]

Han Shuangshuang didn’t think too much; her body’s instinct was to reject Shi Nianxue, so she assumed Shen Yuru didn’t like her either. Her first reaction was to pull Shi Nianxue away from Shen Yuru’s sight. After all, Shi Nianxue wouldn’t let go; her hand was stuck like glue.

“Sister Shen, I’ll be going now to discuss family matters. Don’t worry about me; I’ll see you this afternoon…” As she spoke, she pushed Shi Nianxue to leave quickly.

Shen Yuru watched them go, her phoenix eyes narrowing as she let out a cold breath. Her heart was beating normally, but lately, whenever she dealt with Han Shuangshuang, there was a stuffy, uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Shen Yuru didn’t like her emotions being controlled by others. To maintain her facade, she never showed emotion, but Han Shuangshuang had broken her mask several times.

She stood there for several minutes to calm down before returning to her cold, unapproachable self. As she turned to return to class, the registration form accidentally fell from her bag. She leaned down to pick it up; seeing the crumpled form, she seemed to see Han Shuangshuang’s fawning smile. As if venting, she flicked the form with her index finger. It felt like flicking Han Shuangshuang’s forehead.

This attention-seeking Han Shuangshuang. Entangled with others yet daring to provoke me.

Upon coming to her senses, she was shocked that she’d done something so childish. She stuffed the form back into her bag and blamed Han Shuangshuang for all her strange behavior today. Hmph. Dog, you want to see me this afternoon? In your dreams. I’ll hide on purpose so you can’t find me.

On the other side, Han Shuangshuang finally shook off Shi Nianxue’s hand. Shi Nianxue’s brows furrowed. “Shuangshuang, stop fooling around. This doesn’t benefit you. When will you be more obedient?”

Han Shuangshuang was speechless. She didn’t have the host’s memories, only a bit of info from the book. Shi Nianxue said she went abroad this year, meaning she wasn’t around during the host’s recent years in the Han family. Their relationship should be mediocre. To the host, Shi Nianxue was a betrayer—someone her mother adopted who ultimately sided with her father and stepmother.

Seeing Han Shuangshuang’s dazed look, Shi Nianxue softened her tone. “I know you’re defiant, but stay calm. The school has too many eyes. I’ll explain everything at the Han house this afternoon. I’ll pick you up after lunch.”

Han Shuangshuang shook her head, suppressing an inexplicable rejection. “No need. I know the way home; I’ll go myself.” She turned and left.

[System: Host, you’re quite decisive today.]

Han Shuangshuang walked through the campus. The sunlight was warm, but she was dazing off. She let out a self-mocking huff in her heart. Decisive? Why wouldn’t I be? This is just a virtual book world and I’m just cannon fodder. To change my fate, I only need to finish tasks related to Shen Yuru. Others mean nothing to me.

In her original world, she had lived under others’ roofs and their judgment. She knew that the opinions of irrelevant people didn’t matter. Since they weren’t sincere, why care about their gossip? The Han family and Shi Nianxue were the same; they all had their own goals. To the host, they were family and a bond that couldn’t be cut, but to her, they were just “paper people” driving the plot.

Yan Huan: “Sister, even though I’m not going this afternoon, contact me immediately if anything happens. I’ll settle anything I can.”

Han Shuangshuang bid a tearful farewell to Yan Huan and took a taxi to the Han house as if going to an execution.

[System: Be careful, Host.]

She got out of the car and looked at the villa, letting out a breath. She had to be careful; a home environment that turned the host into such a person couldn’t be good. Unfortunately, she lacked memories and couldn’t tell which room was which.

Can you detect which room Shen Yuru is in? She couldn’t remember the scene where they got engaged very well, so she had to confirm if today was the day the engagement was set. Shen Yuru’s Blackening Value hadn’t dropped much; if they were forced into an engagement now, she’d surely resent her, making her fate hard to change.

Moreover, she had a question: Long Aodi was expelled and had lost his protagonist halo.

[System: Don’t worry. Even if the male lead is gone, you can carry the entire plot.]

She ignored the system and found a room at random. As she was about to knock, it opened, and a man stood there. He was stunned to see her before offering a polite smile and inviting her in. “Ah, the Han girl. Here to find Yuru, I assume?”

A voice of an elder came from inside. Seeing the old man, a name flashed in her mind: an Elder of the Shen family.

Information flooded her head. The Shen family was a large clan with a family hall. After Shen Yuru’s parents succeeded in business, the others swarmed in like leeches. While the parents were alive, they behaved, but after the accident, they showed their hideous faces. They wanted to carve up the estate, and the Elder took over the company, claiming Shen Yuru was too young.

Han Shuangshuang was pulled in with a dry smile. She saw Shen Yuru sitting with them, head bowed, expressionless. Those phoenix eyes were downcast and lonely. The room felt stifling—she was sensitive to such atmospheres. These elders were far too pretentious.

The old woman saw her and grinned, revealing two tacky gold teeth. “You’re Han Shuangshuang, right? I heard you and Yuru are close at school. Sit next to her. This child is quiet; I’m relieved she has someone with your lively personality by her side.”

Han Shuangshuang saw a stool placed next to Shen Yuru and sat down. She heard something wrong in the old woman’s words. Despite their lack of care, they knew Shen Yuru’s every move, meaning they were monitoring her.

For some reason, Han Shuangshuang was annoyed. She couldn’t stand seeing Shen Yuru bullied like this. She felt Shen Yuru should be like she was in front of her—silent but full of little schemes—not being calculated against like this.

“I’m a casual person; I just happen to like someone with a good personality like Sister Shen. Right, Sister Shen?” Han Shuangshuang leaned her head on her hand and gave Shen Yuru a big wink.

A servant poured tea for them. Shen Yuru hadn’t looked at her once, but could feel her warmth. As she was about to take a sip of the tea, the old woman tapped her cane. “That tea is too sweet, bad for your heart. You should drink more bitter things to understand how hard it was to raise you, and to learn to be obedient.”

Han Shuangshuang saw Shen Yuru’s hand pause. Someone immediately replaced her tea with a bitter one. She knew Shen Yuru hated bitter tastes. This old woman is so annoying. They’re definitely why she becomes a villain.

Han Shuangshuang reached out casually and “accidentally” snatched the cup from Shen Yuru’s hand, spilling it on the table. Then she naturally pushed her own sweet tea in front of her.

“Sorry, Grandma Shen. I was spoiled by my parents and have a bit of a temper. I can’t stand the smell of bitter things. I hope the Head of the Shen family won’t mind that I accidentally knocked it over.” Han Shuangshuang gave a wicked smirk. Being a vicious supporting character is actually quite fun.

The tea was quickly cleaned up. Shen Yuru looked at the tea pushed in front of her and took a small sip. The warmth traveled from her mouth to her stomach, warming her entire body.

Han Shuangshuang acted arrogant, but she secretly reached under the table. Where no one could see, she extended her pinky to hook onto Shen Yuru’s, her movements slow and apologetic. Shen Yuru’s expression paused, but she naturally set down her cup and didn’t reject the small gesture, letting Han’s pinky hook on like a “slippery snake’s tongue.”

Shen Yuru’s eyelashes trembled. She thought of how Han Shuangshuang said she wanted to be a new person and clear her reputation. Yet today, for her sake, she was openly defying the Shen elders. These elders were no different from village gossips, always saying petty things.

Shen Yuru felt the sensation on her pinky amplified thousands of times—cool and itchy. The itch traveled up her arm to her heart. Her heart beat powerfully once again, thundering in her ears. She could ignore the probing looks of the others and the whispers of her relatives.

Is Han Shuangshuang really this simple? Is her love that shallow? Is this face enough for her to be this devoted? Studying, becoming a new person, and now being arrogant—all for her. Shen Yuru had never felt this—the feeling of being chosen resolutely and trusted unconditionally. Her frozen, scarred heart began to show signs of softening. This Han Shuangshuang… I’ll give her that 100,000 Yuan check, I’ll just keep an eye on her so she doesn’t waste it.

Han Shuangshuang didn’t know her thoughts, but noticed Shen Yuru’s face was turning red. As a cold beauty, her usual frown made her look gloomy, but now the flush made her look like a blooming peach blossom, sweet and breathtaking. Han Shuangshuang let go of her pinky and used her index finger to tickle Shen Yuru’s palm.

Shen Yuru could only frown slightly and turn to give her a “scolding” look, telling her to stop fooling around. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Shi Nianxue entered with a polite smile. Her gaze swept over the room before landing on Han Shuangshuang. “Pardon me, Head of the Shen family. My sister is causing trouble. My father is looking for her; I’ll take her there now. The banquet starts in half an hour; I hope you enjoy your time at the Shen house.”

Han Shuangshuang was dazed. Before she could react, her hand was thrown off by Shen Yuru.

Shen Yuru turned her head away and let out a cold huff. “Since you went to the wrong place, hurry back. Others are worried sick.”

Han Shuangshuang wants her 100,000 Yuan? In her dreams!