Chapter 35.1
The trip to the cemetery was actually very short.
In less than three hours, the two of them had already returned home by car. Perhaps because the destination they had gone to was rather heavy, the two girls still did not speak much on the way back.
Pushing open the door, a small golden figure ran over. Its wildly wagging tail clearly showed its owner’s good mood. Pai Pai howled excitedly at the two people who had returned.
“Aow! Aow aow!”
“Pai Pai, your body hasn’t even recovered yet. Why are you running around everywhere?”
Bending down, Xie Shuyun picked Pai Pai up.
A few days ago, when he had been bandaged, he had been weak and listless. By the second day, he was already lively and jumping around. If not for one of his legs still being lame, the house would probably have been overturned by this little fellow.
“You spoil him too much.”
Even Cheng Lingxue, his owner, could not help saying this.
Because Pai Pai had been injured, Xie Shuyun could be said to have infinite tolerance for him. That was why, in just a few short days, Pai Pai had become so lawless.
This neither-light-nor-heavy accusation made Xie Shuyun laugh dryly in embarrassment. She reached out and poked Pai Pai’s head in punishment, her tone carrying some complaint.
“Pai Pai, look. Because of you, I got scolded. How about tonight we don’t drink bone soup and go back to canned dog food instead?”
The moment these words came out, the smile on Pai Pai’s dog face instantly disappeared. While looking utterly lifeless, he even rolled a huge white eye at Xie Shuyun.
That humanlike little expression made Xie Shuyun burst out laughing with a pfft. Even the corners of Cheng Lingxue’s eyes became stained with a faint smile.
With Pai Pai, this living treasure, the solemnity and heaviness brought about by the two girls’ visit to the cemetery immediately dispersed a little. The stone in their hearts became lighter, and their tense nerves relaxed quite a bit.
The two returned to their rooms separately to wash up.
After showering and changing clothes, Xie Shuyun sneakily closed the curtains. After confirming that the door was locked, she finally began making a phone call.
“You said you finished it?”
The young girl’s voice was clearly light, but after the person on the other end said something, her brows lightly furrowed.
“I see. It’s fine. As long as it can be seen clearly. Otherwise, do it this way. According to what I said…”
The young girl chattered instructions to the person on the other end. Then she even drew a picture, took a photo, and sent it over.
By the time everything had been confirmed, half an hour had already passed.
“Then I’ll trouble you. Huh? No, no, no… You just need to help me send it over. I won’t get involved in what comes after.”
After saying this, Xie Shuyun hung up the phone.
Lazily stretching, she walked over and opened the curtains. The dim room immediately recovered its brightness.
Looking at the well-trimmed garden outside, she hummed an off-key little tune, as if celebrating that she had completed something important.
Bending down, she pulled out the box hidden under the bed, opened it, and took out the painting tools she had specifically asked Qin Yu to buy for her.
Following the tutorial on her phone, she assembled everything, placed the drawing paper on top, mixed the paint, and began to freely practice on it, working hard on her basic techniques.
While she was immersed in practice on this side, in the room next door, Cheng Lingxue also received a phone call about an hour later.
Looking at the name displayed on the phone, she raised her delicate brows.
At this moment, Cheng Lingxue was wearing a brand-new pink nightgown. The tender pink color made the girl look a little less cold and a little warmer, while also making her fair skin appear even more delicate.
She sat on the bed, leaning against the soft cushion behind her. Because her room had been intruded upon, it had been completely remodeled. Even all the clothes in her wardrobe had been replaced. Yet she was not uncomfortable at all with the changes in her surroundings.
Lightly stroking Pai Pai, who was dozing on her lap, she answered the call.
“Hello, Sister Wang. Is something the matter?”
“Miss, you finally answered the phone.”
Mainly because she heard that Sister Wang’s mood on the other end seemed a little off, Cheng Lingxue’s brows furrowed slightly. She asked softly,
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Did Cheng Wenchi bring people to cause trouble again?”
By the end, Cheng Lingxue’s voice had turned a few degrees colder.
“Ah, no, no, Miss, you misunderstood. I wanted to tell you that the photo has arrived. I’ve already put it back in its original place. Please don’t worry.”
Listening to Sister Wang’s words, Cheng Lingxue froze slightly and subconsciously asked back,
“Photo? What photo?”
“Eh? It’s the family portrait that Cousin Miss damaged last time. Didn’t Miss send someone to restore it? But your name was written on it.”
Family portrait…
Thinking of the family portrait that Cheng Mengmeng had destroyed, Cheng Lingxue’s heart suddenly ached faintly. Her breathing quickened slightly.
She did not refute Sister Wang’s words. Instead, she said in a hoarse voice,
“Sister Wang, take a photo and send it to me. I… want to see how the finished product looks.”
“Alright, Miss. Please wait a moment.”
A few minutes later, Sister Wang sent the photo.
Looking at the image inside, Cheng Lingxue’s breath caught.
Different from the original photo’s glass frame, this was a wooden frame. On the left was the family portrait that was extremely familiar to her. However, compared with the original, it was a little smaller, only about half the size.
A few words were engraved on it.
Never to Part
Cheng Lingxue’s pupils trembled slightly, and her gaze fell to the other side.
Because the photo had been shrunk down, it clearly did not match the larger wooden frame. So there was another photo beside it.
It was of a young girl.
Not from the front, but a side profile. Judging from this angle, it had probably been taken at the pet park. As for the person who had secretly taken the photo, Cheng Lingxue did not even need to think carefully.
This—
A Pure Flower First Blooming
There was no photo placed in the lower frame, probably because the other party had no photo to put there, so it had been left empty for now.
A nearly inaudible breath escaped.
Her trembling fingertips gently stroked the photo that had been sent over. The young girl’s pearly teeth bit tightly into her lips, making her originally pink lips turn slightly pale.
Her breathing changed from faint to heavy.
Her hair fell slightly, covering most of the girl’s face.
“Aowu…”
Seeming to sense his owner’s unrest, Pai Pai lifted his little head from his nap. His big eyes, still somewhat sleepy, blinked slightly as he stared blankly at Cheng Lingxue, only to have the girl’s palm gently cover them.
By his ear was the girl’s voice, which had become hoarse.
“Sorry, Pai Pai. Sleep here for now.”
She picked Pai Pai up and placed him inside the open mouth of the giant blue shark.
That place seemed to have become Pai Pai’s second nest because of what had happened a few days ago.
After settling Pai Pai down, the young girl opened the door and came to the hallway. Taking a few steps sideways, she arrived at the door of the room next door.
Looking at the tightly closed door, the girl’s gaze became somewhat dazed. She reached out and knocked.
Inside the room, Xie Shuyun heard the knocking and lifted her head in confusion. After quickly tidying up her painting tools, she opened the door.
Seeing Cheng Lingxue standing outside, she was surprised inside, but still raised a smile and asked,
“Lingxue? What’s wrong? Did you need something from me—wu…”
Looking at those eyes filled with warmth, Cheng Lingxue pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Under the heroic young girl’s gaze, which gradually turned surprised, Cheng Lingxue slowly moved closer and wrapped both arms around her.
The young girl was slightly shorter than Xie Shuyun, so her face just happened to rest on Xie Shuyun’s shoulder, making it impossible for Xie Shuyun to see her current expression.
“…Lingxue…? You… what’s wrong…”
Xie Shuyun spoke in panic.
Her body did not dare move at all. She even raised both hands high in a surrendering posture, afraid she might touch some place she should not.
But even so, she could still feel the young girl’s softness. The faint fragrance and coconut milk scent kept rushing into her nose, making her mouth feel dry and her heartbeat chaotic.
Xie Shuyun’s face flushed bright red. When she lowered her head, she could see the young girl nestled in her arms, making her breathing grow hurried. She did not know what to do.
Had something provoked Cheng Lingxue?
Could it be the cemetery?
But when they had just returned, she had acted normal. What exactly was going on?
Relying on the tiny bit of thinking ability she still had left, Xie Shuyun kept searching for the reason Cheng Lingxue would be like this, trying to stop herself from having other strange thoughts.
But she could not find any clue.
Yet in the next second, she froze.
She felt a slight wetness on her shoulder.
Xie Shuyun’s gaze dropped with a whoosh. No longer avoiding her eyes like earlier, she fixed them steadily on Cheng Lingxue.
The young girl in her arms was trembling slightly. Because she had lowered her head, and because her hair covered her face, Xie Shuyun could not see her expression.
But the damp feeling on her shoulder, along with the sobs that could be heard if one listened carefully, represented everything…
Cheng Lingxue was crying.
Who had made this person cry?
Her eyes widened slightly. Raging anger rose in Xie Shuyun’s heart.
Her mouth parted as she took a deep breath. The sharp pain of her fingernails digging into her palm allowed her to barely keep calm.
She could not ask right now.
The other girl was emotional. If she asked, wouldn’t that just stimulate her further?
After an unknown amount of time, the young girl on her shoulder finally calmed down. She took a step back, leaving Xie Shuyun’s shoulder.
Xie Shuyun did not care about the wet patch on her shoulder. Her gaze followed the young girl’s figure.
She saw Cheng Lingxue lightly lift her hair, finally allowing Xie Shuyun to see her face.
The young girl’s face was a little pale. Tiny tear droplets still clung to her long lashes. The corners of her eyes were stained with a faint redness from crying.
Perhaps because she had held her breath earlier, the girl’s lips had turned bright red, and her breathing was slightly uneven.
People who had cried usually looked extremely disheveled. Some even had twisted features and ruined makeup.
But never mind that Cheng Lingxue usually wore no makeup to begin with—after crying, she did not seem to have lost any of her beauty because of it.
Instead, she carried a fragile, soft charm that made one’s heart ache and made one want to hold her properly in their arms and cherish her.
Closing her eyes, Xie Shuyun threw away these inappropriate thoughts. She deliberately relaxed her voice, as if facing a frightened little milk cat, her tone extremely gentle.
“Lingxue, do you feel a little better?”
Looking at Xie Shuyun’s worried eyes, the warmth and light inside them made Cheng Lingxue subconsciously avert her gaze, yet she also wanted to touch that warmth.
Questions surfaced in her heart one after another.
Did she know Cheng Lingxue would come looking for her?
How did she get that family portrait…
Too many questions piled up in her chest. Cheng Lingxue opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Not receiving a response made Xie Shuyun a little anxious. She patted her chest and moved closer to Cheng Lingxue, saying firmly,
“Who bullied you? Who made you this sad? I’ll help you vent your anger.”
Just like the words she had heard at the cemetery.
So it had not just been something said casually after all…
The redness at the corners of Cheng Lingxue’s eyes deepened again. Only after taking a deep breath did she slowly speak.
“Why do you have…”
“Mm? Have what?”
Xie Shuyun blinked and subconsciously asked back.
“…The family portrait. The frame Sister Wang received. You sent it, right?”
There was no hesitation, only certainty. The young girl stared closely at Xie Shuyun and watched as the other girl shrank her neck unnaturally, her eyes drifting a little.
“You… how did you know? I clearly told someone to send it using your name… Why did they still notify you…”
Xie Shuyun’s voice grew smaller and smaller, whether because she felt guilty or because of Cheng Lingxue’s stare.
“After what happened last time, do you think Sister Wang and the others wouldn’t notify me about anything? Besides, if I sent something over, I would definitely tell them first.”
Toward a certain someone’s words and behavior full of holes, Cheng Lingxue only wanted to rub her forehead.
What should she say?
That she was still too silly?
“Why did you have the photo’s information?”
This was what Cheng Lingxue wanted to ask the most. There had been no backup of this photo. It could be said that only one copy existed.
Where had Xie Shuyun gotten it from?
“When I went with you to the police station to give a statement last time, I begged the station chief for the video footage. Then I had someone do post-processing to try and extract the photo. I don’t understand the detailed techniques, but the largest it could be made was this size. If enlarged any further, it would be blurry.”
As she spoke, Xie Shuyun scratched her head and said embarrassedly,
“But at the time, I didn’t know about that situation and had already found someone to custom-make the frame. So after thinking about it, it became the finished product like that.”
Rubbing her temples, Cheng Lingxue had completely not thought that the photo could be restored.
Losing it twice in a row had dealt her too great a blow, so she had not even thought of restoring it herself.
When it came to family matters, she was still too sensitive and too lacking in calm.
Her fingertips pinched the loose hair hanging beside her face. Through the gap between her fingers, she looked at the person before her and could not help recalling the day they went to the police station.
Indeed, she had noticed Xie Shuyun go out for a while. When she came back, her mood had been quite good. Cheng Lingxue had not thought too deeply about it.
After they returned to the Xie family, she had watched from the garden as that person seemed to be making a phone call to someone unknown, her expression carrying a plea.
Perhaps it had been about handling this matter.
From that day on, this person had been planning this?
A complicated light flickered in Cheng Lingxue’s eyes.
The young girl placed both hands at her sides and bent slightly toward Xie Shuyun, lowering her head. Her voice was cold yet filled with sincerity.
“…Thank you…”
“Ah, no, don’t do that!”
Startled by Cheng Lingxue’s action, Xie Shuyun hurriedly grabbed the young girl’s shoulders and pulled her up, speaking somewhat incoherently.
“I… I only… ah… You were so sad back then. That photo must have been very important to you. Besides, if I had arrived earlier… something like that probably wouldn’t have happened.”
By the end, Xie Shuyun scratched her head somewhat guiltily.
This person really was…
She had clearly dragged her sick body there, yet she still took the responsibility onto herself…
Cheng Lingxue reached out and grabbed Xie Shuyun’s sleeve.
“Alright. That matter is already over. There’s no need to think about it anymore. Now that the photo can return, I really am grateful to you.”
Cheng Lingxue looked at Xie Shuyun’s shy, smiling face. Suddenly, her tone changed.
She took out her phone and tapped on it, enlarging the frame and revealing the other photo of the young girl surrounded by rabbits. Gritting her teeth, she asked,
“What is going on with this photo?”
“Uh…”
Xie Shuyun immediately froze.
She had completely forgotten that Cheng Lingxue had seen that photo too. She subconsciously took a step back, her eyes wandering everywhere except toward Cheng Lingxue’s black eyes.
“Why don’t you explain?”
The cold young girl revealed one of her rare smiles.
Usually, Xie Shuyun would definitely appreciate it properly. But right now, she only felt a chill go straight through her heart. She looked left and right, hoping someone would appear to save her.
At the same time, her heart was crying.
Clearly, just now had been such a sad and warm scene. Why had it jumped so quickly? In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a denunciation meeting?
Sure enough, people could not do bad things.
Once discovered, they either died or had to undergo soul-level questioning.
Right now, Xie Shuyun felt she was a poor and helpless little sheep, completely unable to resist the person before her.
In the end, unable to withstand the pressure, she shamefully covered her face and said indistinctly,
“When we were at the pet park, I thought the scene was really interesting, so… so I secretly took a photo. I’m sorry!”
The final three words were said extremely loudly. It felt as if the entire villa shook because of it.
It also startled Cheng Lingxue so much that her heart trembled.
As if sensing the right time to escape, a certain someone slipped into her room like an eel. Then she revealed a tiny half of her face and gave Cheng Lingxue a flattering smile.
“I’m really happy you liked that frame.”
After saying this, she slammed the door shut with a bang, as if someone were chasing her from behind.
Speechlessly looking at the closed door, Cheng Lingxue felt both angry and amused.
She patted her chest, calming the heart that had just been startled by Xie Shuyun. The feeling of crying from joy earlier had also been swept away.
She touched her face.
Was she that scary?
At that moment, footsteps sounded.
Qin Yu came out from around the corridor corner. Seeing Cheng Lingxue in front of Xie Shuyun’s door, she clearly froze, then asked,
“Miss Cheng, did something happen just now? I heard a very loud noise.”
“Nothing. We just talked a little. Housekeeper Qin, there’s no need to worry. Go do your work.”
“Ah… alright…”
Under the slight pressure from the cold young girl, Qin Yu subconsciously turned and walked downstairs.
Only after reaching the first floor did she come back to herself and look up at the stairway.
Eldest Miss should be fine, right?
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