Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 29

Xia Wanshuang shielded her clothing, giving a completely sincere lecture on the relevant physiological knowledge, but Zhou Qinglang still insisted on seeing.

In the midst of this struggle, Xia Wanshuang accidentally pressed the area herself and nearly burst into tears, her eyes misting over with pain.

“Sister, I just want to look! Besides, I’ve seen it plenty of times. Didn’t we used to bathe together?” Zhou Qinglang was thoroughly confused, not understanding why there was anything to hide.

“Still a child,” Xia Wanshuang sighed internally, looking at Zhou Qinglang’s perplexed eyes.

“If it really hurts a lot, do you want me to get you a couple of band-aids?” Zhou Qinglang had a sudden idea. Maybe that would reduce the pain a little?

“I’m not hurt…” This was the typical thought process of a child: injury equals band-aid.

Unable to resist Zhou Qinglang, Xia Wanshuang finally lifted her pajama top.

White was white, red was red. Zhou Qinglang stared for a long time but couldn’t spot anything unusual.

“I’ll blow on it for you.”

Literally, she blew on it. Zhou Qinglang exhaled a cool breath that swept across Xia Wanshuang’s chest. Xia Wanshuang felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of shame and quickly pulled her shirt back down.

“Does it still hurt?” Zhou Qinglang was still unsatisfied, having only blown on one side.

“Doesn’t hurt anymore. Sleep.” Xia Wanshuang pulled the blanket up and lay stiffly, planning to use sleep to escape the embarrassing situation.

Zhou Qinglang, however, took out her phone and searched online earnestly.

“Sister, I looked it up! It says you can use a warm towel for a hot compress, or get a massage. I think I can—”

“Shut up and sleep.” ‘Can what?’ Teacher Xia absolutely had to protect her dignity.

“Okay.”

The air was quiet for a moment. Zhou Qinglang looked at Xia Wanshuang and spoke again, still persistent.

“Sister, are you absolutely sure you don’t want it? It’s my private massage!”

“If you don’t sleep now, I’ll clean out the storage room tomorrow and put a bed in there for you.”

“Good night, Sister!”

Xia Wanshuang finally had peace. Hmph, a girl I watched grow up? Of course I can manage her.

Zhou Qinglang lay with her eyes open, deeply discouraged that her massage offer was rejected. It was something good for Sister’s body, so why did she refuse?

Since she couldn’t do it in reality, Zhou Qinglang succeeded in her dream. In her dream, she gently blew on and massaged her sister. Her sister was incredibly relieved, praised her for a good job, and gave her a hug of love.

••••

When Xia Wanshuang woke up the next day, Zhou Qinglang was still asleep, a smile on her face—she must have had a sweet dream.

The sleeping girl looked much softer and more childlike than the waking one. Her face still had the unformed freshness of youth, but when awake, the powerful aura and dark eyes she carried made people forget her true age.

Yet, in front of Xia Wanshuang, Zhou Qinglang was always the clinging, well-behaved child.

After getting ready, Xia Wanshuang woke Zhou Qinglang up, went to the kitchen to fry eggs, toast bread, and pulled milk from the cupboard to heat and pour into mugs.

A beautiful day starts with breakfast.

After eating, Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang sat cross-legged on the bed, binge-watching a show.

Chinese Paladin 3 was currently a hit on television. Xia Wanshuang had seen it before but was happy to watch it again. Sometimes, absorbed in the plot, it was as if she were back in her old life, only to be suddenly startled out of the familiarity by the sight of Zhou Qinglang beside her, realizing this was a similar, yet different, world.

The TV show was currently featuring the story of Xu Changqing and Zixuan. Zixuan had just kissed the Demon Lord Chonglou, and Xu Changqing had caught them red-handed, leading to a conflict. Zhou Qinglang was watching with great interest.

“Sister, do you think they can reconcile? This is basically a cheating scene.”

“Hmm…” Xia Wanshuang thought for a moment. She actually only vaguely remembered the ending, knowing that the “White Tofu” (Xu Changqing’s nickname) developed an inner demon because of this, the Evil Sword Immortal relentlessly pursued them, Maomao traded his flesh for food, many people died, and Jing Tian sacrificed his lifespan to revive those harmed by the Evil Sword Immortal, before collapsing in the snow.

“I don’t think they can. The Taoist must be terribly bothered. After all, Zixuan was the one who initiated it.”

“You’re just a kid. How do you know so much about love, hate, and retribution?”

“I’ve read all of Sister’s novels.” Zhou Qinglang tilted her chin, indicating she knew quite a lot.

“Looks like I’ll have to put you on an internet ban.” Xia Wanshuang pinched the flesh on Zhou Qinglang’s arm, feeling that it was better for a child not to know so much.

“Fine, whatever Sister says goes.” What does an internet ban matter, as long as it’s not a Sister ban?

“Isn’t this a little too clingy? Lin Qiushui will scoff at you again if he hears that.”

“Hmph, he doesn’t have a sister like you. He’s totally just envious and jealous of me.” Zhou Qinglang didn’t care what Lin Qiushui said. She knew who cared about her. Even if others thought she was a severe sister-complex addict, she didn’t mind, because she genuinely was.

“I want to be with Sister forever and never be apart.” Zhou Qinglang hugged Xia Wanshuang’s soft waist, hanging half on her like a koala.

“You say that now, but I bet you’ll find me annoying later.” Xia Wanshuang didn’t take the childish declaration to heart. Zhou Qinglang would have her own path to follow, her own career to be busy with, and she would be with her fated partner. Would she even remember saying she wanted to be with Xia Wanshuang forever?

Moreover, Xia Wanshuang might not even be able to stay with her until that time. The age of twenty-four was less than ten years away. What would happen then, neither she nor the System knew.

“How could I ever find Sister annoying? Never, ever!” Zhou Qinglang said with certainty. Xia Wanshuang smiled, her dimple deepening.

••••

Xia Wanshuang had an appointment in the afternoon: she needed to contact the new tenant Lin Qiushui mentioned and take them to see the apartment. Lin Qiushui was supposed to come along but was dragged off by Zhuo Tong to be a shopping bag carrier, so he told Xia Wanshuang to go by herself.

Though she was supposed to go alone, the sister-complex addict, Zhou Qinglang, couldn’t possibly let Xia Wanshuang go out alone, so of course, she accompanied her.

Xia Wanshuang sat on the back of the bicycle, hugging Zhou Qinglang’s waist, and they headed for the Qingcheng Road apartment. The apartment was in a good school district location, right next to No. 1 Middle School, and Xia Wanshuang had decided to buy it when it was being built.

Xia Wanshuang arranged to meet the person at the milk tea shop next to No. 1 Middle School. When she pushed the door open, she saw a boy flirting with the girl at the counter. He looked about sixteen or seventeen, with ‘peach blossom’ eyes (a term for attractive, slightly teary eyes) and a smile on his lips. His hair was a bit long, giving him a promiscuous vibe.

Xia Wanshuang thought of Lin Qiushui’s comment that this person probably had an “exciting” private life and began to feel suspicious about the deal. She had no desire to pry into people’s private lives, but a high school student with such a rich nightlife was not something Teacher Xia was keen on.

“Hello, are you Xu Ning?”

“Yes, I am. Are you the ‘little landlady’ that Lin Qiushui mentioned?”

Xu Ning had noticed Xia Wanshuang as soon as she walked in. She was noticeably pretty, looked pure and cute, but her face was young—likely a junior high student. He wasn’t too interested in that type, but the girl who came in after her was much more appealing. Black long-sleeve shirt with lettering, jeans, short hair, tall, and she looked cool and aloof. Her face was also surprisingly young, but she was more his type—probably a junior high student too.

Hearing Xia Wanshuang strike up a conversation, Xu Ning’s eyes lit up.

“We can go look at the apartment now and then talk about the price.”

“No rush. Brother will treat you to milk tea. Little sister, what do you want to drink?” Xu Ning focused his gaze on Zhou Qinglang, his tone slightly frivolous.

Xia Wanshuang frowned at his tone and gaze. How could a nearly-grown boy be so sleazy? He wasn’t at all positive and energetic; he made her quite uncomfortable.

“No, thank you.” Zhou Qinglang refused concisely. She was only there to observe for her sister, and she disliked his flighty demeanor, but she maintained a polite attitude since he was a potential tenant.

“Don’t be a stranger. Just order what you want.”

“Thank you, but we’ll get our own.” Xia Wanshuang ordered the fruit tea she and Zhou Qinglang usually drank and paid for it herself.

While they waited, Xu Ning kept asking Xia Wanshuang how old they were and what school they attended.

“That doesn’t seem relevant to the rental. Do you need to see the apartment?”

“Of course, I do. But don’t rush me, little sister. Let’s chat for a bit.” Xu Ning squeezed past Xia Wanshuang and stood in front of Zhou Qinglang. “We can exchange contact information. There’s a new movie out this afternoon. We can go watch it together.”

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t an idiot. She clearly understood his intentions by his attitude. She cursed Lin Qiushui in her mind for finding such a person and was almost furious. Although Zhou Qinglang was in the same grade as her, she was three years younger. Her height just made it less obvious. Xia Wanshuang utterly detested pedophiles, feeling such scum should be executed. Even if Xu Ning was also a minor, the sense of revulsion didn’t change.

“I’m sorry, my sister is busy, and I’m no longer renting this apartment.” Xia Wanshuang grabbed the fruit tea and pulled Zhou Qinglang, preparing to leave.

“Hey, hey, hey, I was just teasing. Don’t be angry. If you don’t want to see a movie, that’s fine.” Xu Ning was still trying to be playful, but Xia Wanshuang didn’t even bother to glance at him.

If someone looked at her or flirted with her like that, Xia Wanshuang wouldn’t mind—at most, she’d be annoyed. But if that gaze was directed at Zhou Qinglang… Teacher Xia would genuinely throw away decades of cultivation and verbally tear that person to shreds.

••••

In contrast to Xia Wanshuang’s displeasure, Zhou Qinglang was quite happy.

Sister had always been very protective of her. From the moment she picked her up and brought her home, she had taken special care of her and shielded her.

When she was in elementary school, people pointed and whispered about Zhou Qinglang, saying she had no parents, was an unwanted child, and grew up eating garbage. Her background was no secret in the neighborhood. The gossips talked openly about her in their homes, and their children mimicked them.

Zhou Qinglang was indifferent. She didn’t care what they said. But she was surprised at how angry Xia Wanshuang was when she heard those words. Her usually gentle, angel-like sister rolled up her sleeves and stomped over to the children, sternly scolding them until they cried. When the children went home and complained, Xia Wanshuang was completely unfazed. She faced several older women alone and rendered them speechless.

“Who said our Langlang is an unwanted child? Our Langlang is a treasure.”

Love is a two-way street. For Zhou Qinglang, Xia Wanshuang was the true treasure.