After Transmigrated As The Scummy Ex Of The White Lotus Female Supporting Character - Chapter 5

Shang Yuqing had already stayed here for several days. Her interactions with Pei Wu were still stiff, and sometimes, Pei Wu still angered her half to death. Fortunately, she was broad-minded and did not care too much. Occasionally, she could even bicker with Pei Wu, and watching her darken her face was actually rather amusing.

Pei Wu would still have episodes. The signs came without rhyme or reason too. Before Shang Yuqing could even react, Pei Wu would seem to fall into some kind of nightmare, her eyes panicked as she frantically tore at her own hair. At times like this, she would fear the light, shrink into her room, draw the curtains, and refuse to come out. No matter whether Shang Yuqing or Grandma Pei coaxed her, it was useless.

Shang Yuqing stood outside the door, unable to go in. All she could do was pointlessly listen to Pei Wu crying and screaming inside.

The soundproofing in the old house was not good. Shang Yuqing could vaguely hear the intermittent sounds.

The words Shang Yuqing heard most clearly, tangled together, were only a few sentences.

Mom, I miss you. Take me away, okay?

Lu Qianwei, Shang Yuqing, all of you go die.

Shang Yuqing felt that the people in these words were special to Pei Wu. Perhaps they had once been the people Pei Wu cherished most, the ones she believed were her emotional support. In Pei Wu’s empty and lonely life, they were uniquely important existences. Pei Wu wanted so badly to keep them, but without exception, they all left her.

They gave Pei Wu a brief flash of light, then took it back without mercy, letting her sink into the abyss again. Over long years, it fermented into hatred and unwillingness.

Perhaps, to a person trapped in darkness, every beam of temporary light was a sin.

Shang Yuqing felt terrible inside, and at the same time, helplessness rose in her. Pei Wu’s hatred had already sunk deep into her bones. If she wanted to pull it out, it would hurt as though thorns were being torn out together with flesh and skin.

Every time this happened, the little person deep in her heart would begin stirring restlessly again, and the original owner’s joys and sorrows would surge up once more.

Shang Yuqing herself was powerless too. Pei Wu, when having an episode, had no reason to speak of at all. She was extremely resistant to human contact. Shang Yuqing wanted to touch her, but she could not step forward.

But even though her episodes were unpredictable, she seemed to be doing her best to control herself and not hurt others. According to Grandma Pei, ever since Shang Yuqing came, the number of times Pei Wu had episodes had actually decreased a little.

Although Shang Yuqing did not feel that at all.

Yunshanju was remote, and both supplies and transportation were underdeveloped. Sometimes, Grandma Pei would hitch a ride on a cargo truck passing through this area to go outside and buy other things. Originally, Shang Yuqing wanted to drive Grandma Pei there, but Grandma Pei asked her to stay home and keep Pei Wu company, so Shang Yuqing agreed. Grandma Pei usually would not return until evening.

Therefore, today, Pei Wu and Shang Yuqing were the only two people at home.

As the older sister, Shang Yuqing naturally had to take care of the younger sister. For example, cooking and such. She had imagined it quite nicely, but reality shattered her ideas a little.

The facilities in Grandma Pei’s home were relatively simple. The only electric appliance was the light. There was not even a television in the house.

According to Grandma Pei, it was because sometimes, when Pei Wu saw Lu Qianwei on television, she would have an episode. Grandma Pei herself did not like watching television much either, so she simply left the television aside like some piece of cargo, gathering dust.

Pei Wu did not even have a phone.

So naturally, things like rice cookers did not exist either. In other words, Grandma Pei cooked with firewood.

Wasn’t it just lighting a fire? Shang Yuqing felt that there should be nothing wrong with that.

Later, she discovered that she had been too naive. She tried for a long time, but the fire still would not catch. She rarely did this sort of thing. It was too difficult.

Instead, she was choked badly by the smoke. After she had been choked who knew how many times, Pei Wu could no longer bear to watch. She walked behind the stove, frowned, and made no effort to hide her disdain. “You can’t even light a fire. Move aside.”

Shang Yuqing coughed and gave up her place.

Pei Wu took some easily flammable leaves and pine needles and piled them underneath. Then she stacked the firewood over them layer by layer, from thin pieces to thicker ones, before lighting the fire. Before long, flames slowly leapt up.

Shang Yuqing looked impressed. “Amazing. Have you done this before? You look so practiced.”

Pei Wu said lightly, “I did it often when I was little.”

“When you were little?” Shang Yuqing was a little surprised.

“Mm. When I was little, there was a period when I lived here all the time.” Rarely, Pei Wu did not speak coldly or sarcastically.

Shang Yuqing did not know whether she had seen wrong, but when Pei Wu said this, her expression seemed to hold a bit of pain and nostalgia.

Pei Wu was rarely in the mood today. “I’ll cook.”

“No need, I’ll do it. My cooking skills are decent.”

Pei Wu looked at her in disbelief and gave a cold sneer. “The food you make is fit for humans? I still remember the first time you cooked. The kitchen almost exploded.”

“…”

That wasn’t me, after all.

Shang Yuqing smiled and argued sophistically, “I went and learned later.”

In the end, unable to win against Pei Wu’s mockery, Shang Yuqing cut the vegetables while Pei Wu cooked. Shang Yuqing truly had not expected Pei Wu to look quite domestic. Her stir-frying skills were practiced, and the dishes looked good too.

Creak—

The kitchen’s wooden door was pushed open by the wind. It had rained last night, and outside was a hazy stretch of mist. A few wisps of fog mixed with dampness drifted in, and a chill abruptly appeared.

“So cold.” Shang Yuqing casually complained while still washing vegetables.

Pei Wu was closer to the door. Hearing this, she answered, “After it rains in Yunshanju, it’s usually very cold.”

Shang Yuqing raised one eyebrow in surprise. She kept feeling that today’s Pei Wu did not seem so sharp. What was with this hint of obedience too?

Pei Wu went to close the door, but she stood there motionless at the doorway. The wind lifted her long hair.

“Pei Wu, what’s wrong?” Seeing that Pei Wu had not moved for a long time, Shang Yuqing was a little puzzled.

“Tell me.” Pei Wu suddenly spoke softly. She turned her head slightly and looked at Shang Yuqing. “Will this fog disperse?”

Shang Yuqing did not understand why she would ask that kind of question, but she still answered, “Of course it will.”

“When?”

Pei Wu was wearing a dress again today. She seemed to especially like wearing dresses. The wind outside was strong, stirring the hem of her skirt. She stood against the light, and her wind-tossed hair covered her bewildered brows and eyes.

There was still a very faint mist around her. Shang Yuqing suddenly felt that Pei Wu, standing inside this fog, seemed somewhat insubstantial.

Shang Yuqing lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. “When the clear sun rises, the fog will disperse.”

Pei Wu murmured in a low voice, “Is that so?”

Shang Yuqing walked over and closed the door behind her. “The wind is strong. Close the door.”

Pei Wu gave a low mm. She looked listless. Shang Yuqing deliberately teased her. “What’s wrong? Did the wind blow you stupid?”

Pei Wu glanced sideways at her. “That’s you.”

Seeing that she still had the energy to retort, Shang Yuqing did not mind. She only smiled. “Let’s cook the soup.”

Pei Wu went to the cabinet in the corner to get the cooking wine. Before she even touched it, she heard Shang Yuqing cry out, “Mouse! Pei Wu, the mouse is running toward you!”

Pei Wu lowered her head and saw that a mouse really was running this way. Its movements did not seem as agile as an ordinary mouse’s. Just as the mouse was about to pass by her foot, Pei Wu swiftly stepped on its body.

Shang Yuqing let out a breath of relief. “Don’t move. I’ll use the fire tongs to pick it up and take it out—”

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Wu calmly shifted her foot onto the mouse’s head. Right in front of Shang Yuqing, she put strength into her foot and crushed it to death. Shang Yuqing could even hear the crack of its bones.

The mouse was crushed to death.

Crushed to death.

Shang Yuqing’s face stiffened a little. Pei Wu looked as if nothing had happened, her face even somewhat innocent. “What’s wrong?”

This was the first time Shang Yuqing had ever seen someone crush a mouse to death alive, and it was even a fragile-looking woman doing it. The other party was still perfectly calm.

She said dryly, “Nothing. I just think your… foot strength is pretty strong.”

“Oh.” Pei Wu responded while pulling out several sheets of paper and pinching the mouse’s tail with them. “Maybe it’s because I’ve practiced taekwondo since I was little.”

“…What rank?”

“Fourth-degree black belt.” With a cold expression, she lifted the mouse up, then asked Shang Yuqing curiously, “Does mouse meat taste good?”

The corner of Shang Yuqing’s mouth twitched. “Probably… not good.”

“Oh.” In the next second, Pei Wu directly threw the mouse outside.

“Speaking of which, is it really okay to step on it to death like that?”

Pei Wu did not understand. “This mouse often steals food and even chewed through my grandmother’s shoes. It screams like a ghost in the middle of the night and wakes my grandmother up. Her sleep quality is already bad, and she often has insomnia. I can’t step on it to death?”

That seemed to make sense. Shang Yuqing felt it was just a little bloody, that was all. But Pei Wu was not exactly a normal person, so perhaps she did not feel it.

A true warrior.

For the first time, Shang Yuqing experienced what it meant to say that people could not be judged by appearances.

The soup needed a long time to simmer, so the two of them could only wait slowly. Pei Wu sat on a stool, looking toward the mist resting on the tips of the pine branches outside the window.

Shang Yuqing was playing on her phone at the side when a call suddenly came in. The ringtone was a soothing female voice. When Pei Wu heard that voice, her body trembled. She turned her head and stared at Shang Yuqing’s phone with complicated eyes, her face instantly filling with an emotion that resembled hatred.

At a loss, Shang Yuqing answered the call and walked outside.

“Good afternoon, Sister.” On the other side of the call was a young male voice.

Shang Yuqing lowered her voice. “Good my ass. Shang Weilan, why are you calling!”

“What’s wrong?” Shang Weilan’s tone was lazy. “Can’t a younger brother call his older sister?”

Shang Weilan was the original owner’s younger brother. After she transmigrated, Shang Yuqing discovered that the two of them had an unexpectedly decent relationship.

Shang Yuqing was a little annoyed right now. The ringtone just now had been one of Lu Qianwei’s songs. Pei Wu had definitely heard it. Although she did not know what effect it would have, with Pei Wu’s personality, it might very well stimulate her mind.

“What do you want?” Shang Yuqing’s tone was a little impatient.

Shang Weilan on the other end did not hear it. “Nothing much. Just asking whether you’re done visiting your friend yet. When are you coming back? Mom talks about you every day.”

Shang Yuqing did not know when she could go back either, so she said perfunctorily, “In a few more days. I can’t leave right now.”

“What kind of friend are you visiting exactly? Could it be a boyfriend? No way, Sister, what dog man have you been fooling around with for so many days?”

Shang Yuqing gritted her teeth. “Shut up! What boyfriend? It’s a girlfriend!”

The other side fell silent.

Only belatedly did Shang Yuqing realize what she had said. She quickly explained, “Not that kind of girlfriend. That kind of girlfriend. Do you understand?”

The more she spoke, the messier it became.

“I understand, I understand, Sister,” Shang Weilan said considerately.

Shang Yuqing felt exhausted and thought, You understand my ass.

Shang Weilan sighed and said earnestly, “But Sister, I don’t mind. Still, you have to think carefully about the future. You can’t be a coward like last time.”

Shang Yuqing no longer wanted to explain. “Think whatever you want. I’m hanging up—wait. Who changed my ringtone?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Niannian changed it? Doesn’t she love playing with your phone the most?”

Niannian was Shang Weinian, her eight-year-old younger sister. She liked playing with her phone, so maybe she had changed it by accident.

Shang Yuqing was very helpless. “Fine. That’s it for now. Hanging up.”

“Sister, I’ve always supported you in finding true love.”

Shang Yuqing hung up the phone at once.

When she went back in, she could feel a chilly gaze. Sure enough, Pei Wu had her arms crossed, her brows and eyes extremely cold. “Why are you using Lu Qianwei’s song as your ringtone?”

Shang Yuqing tried her best not to mind it. “I don’t know. My little sister changed it.”

“How is she doing outside? Is she still a singer who was wildly popular for a time?” Pei Wu’s tone was very slow, each word mixed with suppressed anger.

There was no television inside, and she did not have a phone either. She had no way of knowing news from the outside world.

Shang Yuqing stayed silent and did not speak.

Pei Wu was still muttering to herself. “Suddenly, I’m a little curious. What do she and that cheap woman look like now? If they’re doing very well, I don’t think I’d be very happy.”