Saving the Pitiful Villain (GL) - Chapter 25

Yun Wu’s heart leaped into her throat.

The balcony door was open, and the night wind was cool, but Yun Wu felt as if the wind carried sparks, and a wave of burning sensation rushed over her.

It crept up her neck, face, and ears.

She was still holding the clothes. Yun Wu froze in place, unsure whether she should put down the clothes and pick up the finger cots to explain, or… do nothing and quietly wait for Jiang Shangxue to ask first.

The small box rolled right to Jiang Shangxue’s feet.

Yun Wu’s gaze was fixed on the box until a snow-white, slender hand picked it up.

Jiang Shangxue picked up both boxes of finger cots, then pulled the opaque bag from Yun Wu’s fingertips and put both boxes back inside.

In one instant, Yun Wu’s heart violently lurched with her movement.

Her gaze climbed past that hand.

Jiang Shangxue was looking at her, her eyes calm.

Their eyes met.

The air suddenly went silent.

Jiang Shangxue’s eyes were flat, betraying no extra emotion, as if she hadn’t seen anything.

Yun Wu opened her mouth. Her throat was a little dry. She wanted to explain.

Jiang Shangxue spoke before her, her voice composed. “Go take a shower first.”

In a flash, Yun Wu couldn’t say anything at all.

Under Jiang Shangxue’s ambiguous gaze, the indescribable sense of shame reached its peak.

She closed the bathroom door, her movements slightly stiff and wooden. Yun Wu stood blankly for a long time. Hearing a slight rustling sound from outside the door, Yun Wu came back to reality, an expression of annoyance appearing on her face.

She should have explained immediately.

She turned on the showerhead. Warm water flowed down from the top of her head. Yun Wu tilted her neck back, rubbing her cheeks repeatedly under the running water.

That irritating, flushed feeling still lingered.

In the living room.

Jiang Shangxue put the finger cots into the drawer under the coffee table. The image of Yun Wu’s lips, pale with tension, and her tightly clenched fingers flashed through her mind. Her eyes suddenly deepened.

Having navigated the business world for so many years, Jiang Shangxue knew well the unspoken understanding among adults. She had seen all sorts of peculiar things.

However, Jiang Shangxue never involved herself. Work alone was enough to drain all her energy, which was why her friends often teased her as a sexually repressed, conservative nun.

In truth, she wasn’t conservative; she simply wasn’t interested.

Adults have physical needs, and using small items was understandable.

But Yun Wu was still young; she wasn’t an adult yet.

Thinking of a certain possibility, Jiang Shangxue’s temples pulsed. Hearing the sparse sound of water coming from the bathroom, Jiang Shangxue closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead repeatedly with her fingers.

Yun Wu’s shower lasted an unusually long time tonight. The clock on the wall moved a full hour before she emerged.

She was wearing a nightgown, the buttons at her neck undone, revealing a patch of delicate yet fragile pale skin.

Her hair was undried, dripping wet on her shoulders. The wound on her right middle finger seemed to have split open again, seeping blood.

Jiang Shangxue had been sitting on the sofa waiting for her. Seeing this, her gaze darkened.

“Come here. Sit down.”

It wasn’t her usual gentle tone. It felt like it was laced with anger.

Yun Wu glanced at the coffee table, then the shelf. Both boxes of finger cots were gone. Jiang Shangxue must have put them away.

She walked tentatively toward her, her throat tight, and sat down on the far end of the sofa, as far away from Jiang Shangxue as possible.

Jiang Shangxue stared at her for two seconds, her expression slightly softened.

She stood up, retrieved the first-aid kit and a hairdryer, and then proactively sat next to Yun Wu.

Yun Wu was bewildered, but Jiang Shangxue clearly had no interest in explaining.

Holding Yun Wu’s injured right hand, she began to disinfect, apply medicine, and bandage the wound in an orderly manner.

Yun Wu suppressed the trembling brought on by the pain. She looked into Jiang Shangxue’s deep, dark eyes, her voice slightly shaky. “Auntie Jiang.”

“Mhm,” Jiang Shangxue responded.

In the next instant, Yun Wu was abruptly wrapped up in an arm, which pulled her sideways, making her fall into a warm embrace filled with a faint fragrance.

The buzzing sound of the hairdryer started near her ear. Yun Wu felt soft fingers weaving through her hair, bringing a comfortable warmth.

Yun Wu’s body was stiff and motionless.

Their actions seemed excessively intimate. The previously clear boundaries between them became blurred.

The buzzing sound was soft, not loud, but Yun Wu’s mind couldn’t stop feeling confused.

Even after her hair was dry, Yun Wu still leaned motionless in Jiang Shangxue’s arms, her face resting on her shoulder. It was very soft. The warmth and the faint fragrance mixed together, making her head dizzy.

“Wu Wu,” Jiang Shangxue called her softly, patting her back.

She spoke and held her with the tone and posture of a parent addressing a junior.

Suddenly snapping back to attention, Yun Wu’s limbs were so stiff she didn’t know where to put them.

Jiang Shangxue couldn’t help but smile faintly. Yun Wu’s face seemed flushed from the heat, tinged with a delicate peach-blush pink. The hazy moisture in her eyes hadn’t completely faded, making her look a little bewildered.

However, recalling the box of finger cots in the drawer, the smile on Jiang Shangxue’s face immediately faded, vanishing instantly.

Sitting up straight, Jiang Shangxue turned her head to face Yun Wu. Her hair, which had been pinned up, was now down, draped over her shoulder. In the cool light, a look of severity pressed at the corners of her eyes.

“Wu Wu, you are still young. It’s not good to try certain things too early.”

Hearing Jiang Shangxue’s slightly raised voice, Yun Wu’s hard-won calm was disrupted again.

Jiang Shangxue was clearly referring to the finger cots.

Her face felt hot, and so did her ears.

Yun Wu mumbled, carefully considering how to explain.

She didn’t want Jiang Shangxue to form a bad impression of Ye Mei because of this incident.

In her previous life, Yun Wu never experienced friendship or family affection, and love was even more laughable. She mistook Zhao Changming’s exploitation for a saving grace, which led to a miserable end.

Reborn into a new life, Yun Wu still longed for genuine comfort, yet contradictorily despised sincerity.

Whether it was Ye Mei or Jiang Shangxue, she never dared to fully let down her guard.

She firmly believed that all kindness required repayment. Only by interpreting their intentions with the greatest possible malice could she protect herself from harm.

Ye Mei approached her because she might still be useful to the Sanlin Company.

As for Jiang Shangxue, it was undoubtedly related to the Yun Group.

But no matter how genuine or fake these feelings were, even if they were mixed with self-interest, Yun Wu wanted to indulge in them.

She told herself it would be fine as long as she could pull herself out in time, as long as she stayed clear-headed.

In the performance of feigning compliance, sometimes Yun Wu herself couldn’t distinguish the sincerity of her emotions.

For instance, when facing Jiang Shangxue, she would always unconsciously deviate from her original intentions, uncontrollably revealing more emotions.

Sometimes, Jiang Shangxue truly felt like a mother, like the mother she had fantasized about countless times in her childhood.

The one who would appear to protect her when others bullied her.

The one who would buy her beautiful clothes.

The one who would pick her up and take her home at night.

…

This pitiful wretch, always alone, who considered even crying a luxury, was acting like a lunatic, frantically using these things to soothe her thirst.

How truly pathetic.

Yun Wu’s expression shifted constantly. Jiang Shangxue watched her quietly.

A faint layer of sweat seeped onto the girl’s forehead. Her eyes, filled with moisture, held a startling sadness. Her fluttering eyelashes were like a butterfly falling into a deep well.

Jiang Shangxue lightly tapped her knee, then suddenly reached out and held Yun Wu’s hand, her expression softening.

“Wu Wu, I know that to survive before, you had to endure many terrible circumstances, but things are different now. You have the ability to rely on yourself to stay away from those bad people and things.”

“No matter how bad your past life was, it will pass. You need to cut your losses in time.”

After a pause, Jiang Shangxue continued.

“Don’t go back to Magpie Bridge, and don’t have any involvement with the people there.”

The only person Yun Wu had a romantic involvement with in the book was the male lead, Zhao Changming. However, the erotic finger cots were most likely used among lesbians.

Yun Wu was bullied by Zhao Rongrong. Jiang Shangxue couldn’t help but wonder, Was she also bullied by others?

Jiang Shangxue’s voice was slow and gentle but full of quiet strength.

Yun Wu looked up, her gaze meeting Jiang Shangxue’s.

Stunned, confused, touched, and bewildered…

A multitude of emotions surfaced in Yun Wu’s eyes. Hearing the name Magpie Bridge, she suddenly realized that Jiang Shangxue had completely misunderstood.

She knew she had worked part-time at Magpie Bridge and then unexpectedly saw the erotic finger cots in her pocket. Jiang Shangxue misunderstood that she was working at Magpie Bridge…

The misunderstanding seems to be getting deeper and deeper.

Yun Wu carefully scrutinized Jiang Shangxue’s face, from her eyebrows to her chin. The shallow light in her clear eyes shimmered, and she found no trace of disgust in Jiang Shangxue’s expression.

Not only that, but she even perceived a hint of pity.

How could this be? Doesn’t someone like Jiang Shangxue, who is at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy, always look down on and despise such things?

The more Yun Wu probed, the stronger the morbid joy in her heart grew.

She suddenly didn’t want to explain anymore.

Harboring a complex, malevolent desire to test the waters, Yun Wu blinked, feigning shock and helplessness. A faint sheen of tears clung to the corners of her eyes.

“Auntie Jiang, would you despise me for being dirty?”

The girl’s voice was frail and faint, laced with the helplessness of having a shameful experience exposed.

It was intended to be a subtle probe. Hearing Yun Wu’s response, Jiang Shangxue’s hand on her knee suddenly clenched, wrinkling the soft fabric beneath it.

Her gaze fixed on the tear at the corner of Yun Wu’s eye, and Jiang Shangxue’s heart twisted.

A distant, contemptible, hated memory inappropriately surfaced in Jiang Shangxue’s mind. A fleeting desolation flashed in her eyes.

Regaining her composure, Jiang Shangxue’s eyes softened further. She wrapped her other arm around Yun Wu’s shoulder, pulling her close into her embrace.

Just like that night.

“Of course not. It has never been Wu Wu’s fault. It is their fault. You have just lived too bitterly, too difficultly.”

“If you had a choice, no one would willingly choose that.”

“The future is brand new. It will never be like that again. Never.”

The pressure on her shoulder slowly increased. Yun Wu nestled in Jiang Shangxue’s arms, raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, and let out a muffled, soft laugh from her throat.

The laugh sounded like a sob in Jiang Shangxue’s ears.

Her hand was still tightly held, moist with sweat. Yun Wu lowered her gaze and hummed in acknowledgment.

Jiang Shangxue’s answer was beyond Yun Wu’s expectations, like a universal Bodhisattva.

Yun Wu wanted to laugh, but her heart was heavy. The tears in her eyes accumulated more and more, soaking Jiang Shangxue’s clothes in patches.

The child was trembling more and more violently, and the wet heat on her shoulder became more noticeable. Jiang Shangxue gently patted her back, stroke after stroke.

In many cases, words were pale and powerless.

After an unknown time, when Yun Wu finally looked up, her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and strands of hair were messily clinging to her face.

Jiang Shangxue smoothed her hair back, brought her water to wash her face, and then retrieved an ice pack.

A cool sensation pressed against her swollen, warm eyelids. With her vision temporarily obstructed, Yun Wu reached out and grabbed Jiang Shangxue’s hem, saying, “Auntie Jiang, no one has ever been this kind to me. Thank you.”

It was a test, but also a genuine outpouring of emotion.

Yun Wu thought, If she’s only fooling me, I’m willing to be fooled forever.

Jiang Shangxue waited for her to stop crying, only to hear her say these words. Her heart instantly melted into a puddle, feeling both poignant and tender.

The girl’s naivety brought a sense of guilt to Jiang Shangxue.

Her approach, her kindness, were originally driven by motive and purpose.

But unconsciously, her intention of viewing Yun Wu as a future ally against the male and female leads had undergone an unforeseen change.

Thinking of something, Jiang Shangxue, as if possessed, added,

“If I have the chance, I will continue to be kind to you.”

The atmosphere between them suddenly tightened. Yun Wu’s throat moved. She suddenly began talking about her childhood.

“…”

“The old man was a lunatic. No one knew his name. Although he was crazy, he picked me up and gave me food so I wouldn’t starve to death. Although he never spoke to me, he never hit or yelled at me like other people.”

“Every year when people came for inspection, the community center auntie would bring rice, meat, and clothes. At that time, I hoped every day that the inspectors would come before winter so the old man and I wouldn’t freeze.”

“You know, winter in A-City is very cold—so cold you can’t sleep all night.”

“I wanted to cry, too, but I had to hold it in. Crying was useless and wasted energy. It would just make me hungrier faster.”

“…”

“No one ever taught me what to do, and no one ever cared about me. When I started my period at fourteen, my body began developing. I was terrified of these changes. I thought I was going to die.”

“Men in the building tried to molest me, but I was smart. I found the right time to scream and cry loudly and didn’t let them succeed.”

Every word Yun Wu spoke deepened the sourness in Jiang Shangxue’s heart.

Toward the end, Yun Wu even started laughing.

Jiang Shangxue couldn’t laugh. Her chest felt like it was pressed by a heavy stone—overwhelming and uncomfortable. Jiang Shangxue helped Yun Wu sit up, looking at her earnestly.

“I will take care of you from now on. I will teach you.”

Her fingers curled tightly, nails digging into her palm. Yun Wu’s heart subtly fluttered. She never intended to beg for sympathy using those shameful experiences, but when she met Jiang Shangxue’s gentle and focused gaze, Yun Wu nodded.

She was truly unable to stop herself from telling Jiang Shangxue those messy, humiliating past events. But speaking them out loud in this life felt far less difficult than she had imagined.

It felt unexpectedly liberating to speak them.

Jiang Shangxue didn’t rush Yun Wu to rest tonight. Instead, she stayed with her in the living room for another half hour.

When she felt Yun Wu’s emotions had completely stabilized, Jiang Shangxue finally reminded her that it was time to rest.

Yun Wu nodded obediently, stood up to leave, but suddenly turned around and said earnestly to Jiang Shangxue.

“Auntie Jiang, I was really just working as a waitress at Magpie Bridge, serving drinks.”

So I was wrong?

Jiang Shangxue was lost in thought. She didn’t recover until Yun Wu closed the bedroom door.

So, did I truly misunderstand? Then what were the erotic finger cots for?

Jiang Shangxue couldn’t let go of the worry without clarification, but Yun Wu had just had a good cry and was definitely tired.

Jiang Shangxue shook her head helplessly. She could only wait until tomorrow to find a chance to ask clearly.

Yun Wu did not immediately get into bed after returning to her room. She sat at the desk, staring at the ugly little yellow duck cotton candy for a long time.

Buying cotton candy and grocery shopping together were all novel experiences she had never had before.

Because she hadn’t experienced them, they felt especially precious.

Yun Wu knew Jiang Shangxue liked her obedient manner. She would continue to act obediently in the future…

Yun Wu thought that if Jiang Shangxue could genuinely continue to be kind to her, she might be able to forgive her.

Her chaotic thoughts gradually cleared. Yun Wu quickly typed an encrypted URL on her computer and used the encrypted URL to silently breach the Yun Group’s internal network.

Her memory from the previous life provided Yun Wu with the access credentials to classified project information.

She quickly browsed the Group’s latest internal messages, then logged into Jiang Shangxue’s email using the account and password she had quietly memorized.

Jiang Shangxue usually didn’t deliberately avoid Yun Wu when working. Yun Wu had made an effort to memorize the credentials.

After reading all of Jiang Shangxue’s sent and received emails, Yun Wu first confirmed Jiang Shangxue’s intention to terminate the blood test for cancer project. Then, she summarized all of Jiang Shangxue’s latest movements.

Jiang Shangxue’s style in handling Group affairs was beyond Yun Wu’s expectations.

She was meticulous, sharp-tongued, and very firm.

It was another side of Jiang Shangxue she hadn’t noticed before. Yun Wu mused over the phrasing in Jiang Shangxue’s writing, a little distracted.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door.

Fumbling, Yun Wu hastily closed the laptop and turned to look at the door.

Author’s Note:

Wu Wu is black-hearted~

Yun Wu: I heard you’ve seen all sorts of peculiar things. Which one do you want to play tonight?

Little Jiang: You rebellious child!