Chapter 25.1

The entire infirmary was terrifyingly quiet. The only sound was Su Xianxian’s breathing, which had grown heavy due to the pain.

Jiang Cuo slowly leaned down, nearly dropping to one knee, lightly supporting herself against the edge of the bed. She made sure the rickety iron frame didn’t make a sound so as not to disturb Su Xianxian.

Occupied by the pain, Su Xianxian had her eyes tightly shut and didn’t sense Jiang Cuo’s approach at all. Jiang Cuo’s phoenix eyes were misty, yet filled with a strange, serious, and persistent light.

Her lips lightly brushed past Su Xianxian’s nose—so light and faint that Su Xianxian didn’t notice. Following her gaze downward, her lips moved closer, inch by inch.

Just as Jiang Cuo was level with the height of Su Xianxian’s curled-up body, the infirmary door was suddenly pushed open.

“Sister, are you unwell? The teacher said you were in the infirmary.”

Su Lian saw Su Xianxian curled up in pain on the bed, while Jiang Cuo was half-crouched nearby doing… something? Su Lian tilted her head; was she… tying her shoelaces?

Su Lian’s voice rang out abruptly in the quiet room.

The moment the door opened, Jiang Cuo immediately turned her head, retracted her hand, and fully crouched down, unauthorized copy pulling all her thoughts back. As if just coming back to her senses, her phoenix eyes widened slightly—a rare loss of composure.

Jiang Cuo felt both annoyed and confused. What was she doing just now? If Su Lian hadn’t walked in, would she have actually stolen a kiss from Su Xianxian? How could she possibly do such a thing?

Hearing Su Lian’s voice, Su Xianxian was forced to open her eyes, her face full of displeasure as if her rest had been disturbed. As she opened her eyes and instinctively shifted forward, her lips touched something soft. Once her vision focused, she was startled.

She had just kissed Jiang Cuo’s cheek.

Jiang Cuo was half-crouched on the floor with her head slightly lowered. Startled, Su Xianxian momentarily forgot the pain. She lifted her head slightly and saw Jiang Cuo… actually tying her shoelaces?

Realizing her accidental move, Su Xianxian frowned with regret and squeezed her eyes shut. In this romance-brained world, why are there accidental kisses everywhere?

Then, she saw Jiang Cuo slowly stand up. Her tall figure stood by the bed, her high ponytail giving her a powerful aura. However, those phoenix eyes held no warmth as they glanced down at her.

Su Xianxian could somehow read the meaning in that gaze: it was a silent accusation of taking advantage of her again, of “taking liberties” yet again.

Then, Jiang Cuo’s cool voice rang out with a hint of irony: “It seems Classmate Su isn’t hurting that much? You still have the energy for this, hmm?”

Su Xianxian: “…”

But just now… before Su Lian came in, Jiang Cuo seemed to have reached into my covers… was she touching me? How can Jiang Cuo be the one to turn it around on me?

Seeing Su Xianxian’s confused and questioning look, Jiang Cuo’s neck stiffened. Her expression froze for a moment, and her fingertips moved unconsciously. She immediately adjusted her mindset, putting on a stubborn look of someone who had been taken advantage of but was forcing herself not to care.

“I kindly brought Classmate Su to the infirmary, only to be questioned about my intentions?”

Su Xianxian could only silently turn away, resuming her pained expression and curling up to “play dead.”

When Su Lian saw that even though her speaking at the door had broken the invisible barrier between the two, she still couldn’t integrate into it. Su Xianxian and Jiang Cuo seemed to have a protective film separating her from them.

Yesterday, when Su Xianxian had handed her an unlimited credit card with such an indifferent expression, Su Lian had been shaken. She had originally only wanted Su Xianxian’s protection to prevent Su Jianxiu’s disgusting future plans from succeeding; it was a move born of pretense.

But she didn’t expect Su Xianxian to let bygones be bygones and be so good to her. Su Lian thought it was likely because Su Xianxian didn’t know they weren’t blood sisters. She felt so dark—even in this state, she was still playing clever mind games. Yet Su Xianxian didn’t seem to care at all.

Su Xianxian’s sincerity made her feel utterly ashamed. Most of the bad things she had done in the past were at Su Jianxiu’s instruction, and the rest were because she thought doing them would make her happy. But in the past, even when she succeeded and saw Su Xianxian’s rage, her heart only felt empty. Moreover, the old Su Xianxian would retaliate twofold; she never got what she wanted and instead lost even more.

Furthermore, Su Lian felt that Su Xianxian truly seemed like a different person.

Aware of the truth about their lack of blood relation, Su Lian’s gaze toward Su Xianxian changed. Because she lacked a mother since childhood and was affected by the gossip of others, her personality was naturally introverted. She longed to rely on someone, to be protected by them so she could show her claws under their shelter—this was how she satisfied her sense of security.

She had found Su Jianxiu before because he was all she had, but now he was unreliable. The reason Su Lian was so eager to believe in Su Xianxian was because she needed a belief to sustain her. As she grew up and developed her own thoughts, she realized Su Jianxiu did many things she couldn’t understand. Her trust in him was only partial. But as she was slowly influenced by Su Xianxian’s charm, she grew desperate for Su Xianxian’s approval.

This way, she could tell herself she wasn’t homeless and had someone to rely on. She could tell herself that the insults and gossip weren’t true—that someone loved her unreservedly, and that her existence had meaning. To others, this might seem like a ridiculous self-delusion, but for Su Lian, it was her only motivation to live.

Thus, even after being ignored by the other two, Su Lian maintained a slightly weak and pitiful smile, speaking timidly.

“Sister, you’re unwell. Do you need brown sugar water? I can go to the shop to buy some. Do you want pure brown sugar, or brown sugar with ginger?”

Su Xianxian buried her face in the covers to avoid Jiang Cuo’s gaze and muttered, “Whatever.”

“Okay, Sister. I’ll be right back… wait for me.”

Su Lian bit her lip. After hesitating, she added the words “wait for me.” She felt that saying this made it seem like their sisterly relationship was very good. To block out the bad voices from the outside world, and due to Su Jianxiu’s brainwashing, she was very good at brainwashing herself and building psychological defenses. As long as Su Xianxian didn’t clearly express hatred for her, she would try to feel at ease to reduce her own anxiety.

As Su Lian turned to leave, Jiang Cuo’s gaze followed her, becoming dark and deep. She felt Su Lian’s look toward Su Xianxian was a bit strange. Logically, Su Lian was ​read the original at bailiantales.com​the product of her family’s destruction—the daughter of a mistress. Their relationship should be like fire and water, yet now there was a tacit understanding she didn’t know about. It felt as if they shared a secret she wasn’t privy to.

Furthermore, Su Lian’s gaze didn’t look like that of a simple sister. For some reason, Jiang Cuo felt a sensitive spot had been triggered; she was extremely bothered by this. Didn’t Su Xianxian keep saying she wanted to be my best friend? Can you be best friends if you hide things from me?

By the time Su Lian returned with the brown sugar and brewed it into a drink, Jiang Cuo had already handed her own cup of water—now cooled to a perfect temperature—to Su Xianxian.

After drinking a large cup of hot water, Su Xianxian felt like she had come back to life. The warmth flowed through her system, heating her body from the inside out. She felt much better, and even the pain in her abdomen had subsided significantly. It turns out ‘drinking more hot water’ actually works.

Su Lian held her cup of scalding brown sugar water, looking a bit pitiful. But Su Xianxian was in no mood to notice her. Su Lian saw Jiang Cuo take the cup from Su Xianxian with her long, elegant fingers. Jiang Cuo’s gaze seemed to sweep over her casually.

Jiang Cuo’s face remained indifferent, as if taking care of Su Xianxian was just a random act of kindness she would have performed for anyone. But Su Lian was observant; she knew in her heart that if it were anyone else, Jiang Cuo wouldn’t have lifted a finger. And although Jiang Cuo’s expression was normal, that brief glance held an imperceptible hostility.

Su Xianxian had sent a message to her butler to bring a change of clothes. She couldn’t skip more classes. The monthly exam was in ten days, and the system required her to rank in the top ten. If she skipped class now, it would cause gossip that would be a hassle to explain.

Once the butler arrived with the clothes, Su Xianxian felt recovered enough. She forced herself to change and returned to the field for PE. However, she had no energy for intense exercise.

To her surprise, Jiang Cuo had already explained the situation to the PE teacher. The teacher allowed her to rest on the sidelines and nodded toward her, seemingly pleased that she hadn’t just run off with a “rich girl” tantrum.

Su Xianxian: “…” How bad was the original host’s temper?

Su Xianxian checked her phone; there were only three minutes of class left. The teacher’s approving gaze made her feel embarrassed. With one minute left, the teacher actually trotted over to explain:

“I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you, but since you left during my class, I had to see that you returned. This is taking responsibility for you.”

The word “responsibility” was like a fuse; a sound suddenly exploded in Su Xianxian’s mind. Why does this sound so familiar?

At that moment, Jiang Cuo walked over casually and overheard the teacher’s words. Recalling a scene she didn’t want to remember, her body stiffened for a moment. She actually walked in a synchronized “same-hand-same-foot” manner as she turned her face away immediately.

Su Xianxian’s gaze followed her, her almond eyes narrowing as she stared at Jiang Cuo’s profile. In her pained haze in the infirmary, she thought she heard Jiang Cuo say something about… responsibility? She had been too focused on the pain to pay attention, so she wasn’t sure.

To prevent Su Xianxian from seeing her awkward walk, Jiang Cuo slowed down and kept her face turned away. However, her entire ear was crimson, a color her high ponytail couldn’t hide.

By the time Su Xianxian finished listening to the teacher’s concern and looked back, Jiang Cuo was gone. She could only use the lunch break to rest properly.

When afternoon classes began, Su Xianxian noticed Jiang Cuo was intentionally keeping her distance. As Su Xianxian shifted her position, she caught sight of Jiang Cuo’s shoes. They were slip-ons—they didn’t even have laces. So what was Jiang Cuo doing with her head down in the infirmary?

Whenever Jiang Cuo’s gaze swept past Su Xianxian’s profile, she would recall those strange words: “Su Xianxian… is this how you… take responsibility for me?” Her ears felt like they were on fire, and a faint blush rose to her face.