Saving the Pitiful Villain (GL) - Chapter 29

Ye Mei was full of energy and very capable of stirring up trouble, even able to entertain herself all day long.

Yun Wu patiently ignored her, but that blatant gaze kept drifting, intentionally or unintentionally, toward Yun Wu’s lower back.

As the frequency increased, a light cherry-blossom pink gradually spread across Yun Wu’s face.

Ye Mei, with her sharp eyes and mouth, said, “Your face is all red! I must have guessed correctly! Hurry up and confess who spanked you! Auntie Jiang looks so gentle. She doesn’t seem like a violent person!”

Her mouth kept chattering non-stop.

Yun Wu took a deep breath. As soon as the bell rang, she walked out of the classroom without stopping and headed to the examination hall in the other building.

The camphor trees in the school were lush and green. As Yun Wu walked out of the classroom, the sight of the vibrant greenery filled her eyes.

Her mood lifted slightly.

These two days were the 20th major joint mock exam, and it was the first exam Yun Wu had truly taken seriously since her rebirth.

East Villa High School graded quickly. The results would likely be out by tomorrow evening.

Yun Wu knew she was highly gifted in mathematics and logical thinking, but she was very average in other subjects.

She had no choice but to rely on her memory from the previous life and double her efforts in reviewing to take a chance.

As usual, the exam lasted until half past five, and then school was dismissed.

Her backside still hurt when she abruptly stood up after sitting for a long time. Yun Wu hissed softly but continued walking without changing her expression.

The crowd scattered at the school gate. Yun Wu walked absentmindedly.

Uncle Li appeared beside her at some point. “Little Miss, I’m here to deliver your living allowance, along with some candies and review materials. I was supposed to come on the first, but I was delayed for a few days.”

The candies were packaged in foreign languages, packed in thick paper boxes. They looked expensive—extravagantly so.

Her gaze briefly lingered on the review materials: Nanzhou University Ten-Year Independent Admissions Exam Question Style, Nanzhou Gold Papers, Nanzhou Independent Sprint Test…

They were all review materials related to the Nanzhou University independent admissions exam.

Yun Wu pondered for a moment before asking in a calm tone, “Did Uncle Li buy these candies and review materials for me personally?”

Uncle Li was surprised. He immediately refuted her. “Of course not. Madam specifically ordered them. She also said she would send you a little more living allowance from now on.”

Since Jiang Shangxue moved out of the Yun Mansion, she rarely returned. Uncle Li knew she had gone to the East Villa community to accompany Yun Wu in her studies.

And judging by the current situation, it seemed they were getting along well with the Little Miss, which was excellent news.

However, Yun Wu’s sudden question made Uncle Li hesitate slightly about whether he should ask about the specifics of the situation.

Yun Wu held the obviously thicker envelope and, seeing the hesitation on Uncle Li’s face, said nonchalantly, “I understand. Thank you, Uncle Li.”

“Oh, good. Then I’ll be going.”

Uncle Li turned and got into the car, his opinion of Jiang Shangxue improving considerably. Yun Wu used to be very resistant toward him, but this time her attitude had noticeably softened.

Neither Uncle Li nor Yun Wu noticed that someone nearby was secretly taking pictures of the two of them with a phone, deliberately choosing angles that would suggest a dubious relationship.

Yun Wu’s mind was focused on the candies and review materials.

Judging by Uncle Li’s reaction, he likely still didn’t know that Jiang Shangxue was concealing her identity from her.

Yun Wu sank into thought, slowly narrowing her eyes. How long does Jiang Shangxue plan to keep the pretense up?

Were these things meant to be bought for her anyway, or were they bought to appease her because she had spanked her?

Amidst her contemplation, a slow warmth flowed out from Yun Wu’s heart. She tore open the packaging, took a candy, and put it into her mouth.

It was sweet and sour, the sweetness overriding the tartness.

Her steps seemed significantly lighter all the way home.

She entered the elevator and pressed the button.

A man who had been in the elevator that morning was standing next to her—the grandpa going out for his morning exercise. He proactively greeted Yun Wu.

The grandpa’s voice was strong, and his hair was mostly white. He looked very kind.

“Little girl, school’s out?”

“Mhm.”

Yun Wu took a moment to realize he was talking to her.

It was a small act of kindness from a stranger.

It seemed that ever since Jiang Shangxue appeared in this life, her situation had been continuously improving. The corners of Yun Wu’s lips unconsciously curved into a shallow arc.

Walking to the door, Yun Wu was about to enter the password but suddenly stopped, instead reaching up to rub her face, trying to make her expression look less sullen.

Feeling satisfied, she opened the door.

Auntie Chen was in the kitchen. Jiang Shangxue was in the study, on the phone. Her graceful body curve was cast as a dark shadow by the light, projecting onto the white wall.

Yun Wu walked over softly and sat down at the dining table. The angle was just right for her to see Jiang Shangxue’s back.

She stood by the bookshelf, facing away from the door. The window was half-open, gently rustling the stray hairs around her ear. She exuded an inherent gentleness and elegance.

Yun Wu couldn’t help but hold her breath, leaning her ear to listen.

The kitchen door was closed, so the noise wasn’t loud, allowing Yun Wu to clearly hear the voice coming from the study.

“Yun Keke is already at the mansion? What about the other two children?”

“Good. I’ll go back for a visit tomorrow.”

“…”

Jiang Shangxue pinched her temples, frustrated. Yun Guye and Yun Chilu were too impatient. They had sent the children to the Yun Mansion today.

Yun Keke, Yun Guye’s granddaughter, was 20 years old and a junior at Nanzhou University.

Yun Shiji and Yun Linglong, Yun Chilu’s grandson and granddaughter, were only thirteen and ten, respectively. The older one was in middle school, and the younger one was only in fifth grade. Their transfer procedures were being expedited.

Although there were many servants at the Yun Mansion to look after them, if Jiang Shangxue didn’t go back to check on them, Yun Guye and Yun Chilu would surely stir up trouble.

“Yun Keke,” Yun Wu murmured the name. Her eyes darkened. The warmth that had lifted her spirits gradually gave way to coldness.

So, Jiang Shangxue really intended to bring the other Yun family children close to her.

Yun Wu’s fingers dug deeply into the soft cushion beneath her. Her lips instantly turned slightly pale.

The last trace of hope she held was shattered.

Yun Wu stood up in a daze, grabbing her backpack, candies, and review materials, and walked toward her bedroom.

The candies were all boxed. She stacked the boxes neatly on the bookshelf. They didn’t take up much space.

After placing the candies, Yun Wu stared blankly for a while. Her gaze then shifted to the upper right corner of her desk.

The little yellow duck cotton candy had melted. Yun Wu had previously placed a large sheet of draft paper underneath, but now she could only see a few yellow streaks of varying depths on the paper.

Her heart felt inexplicably heavy, accompanied by a sense of injustice.

Reason told Yun Wu that she should try even harder to appease Jiang Shangxue, but another conflicting voice kept whispering that showed no weakness:

If Jiang Shangxue truly treats you as a daughter, you wouldn’t need to try so hard to please her.

Yun Wu suddenly stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open.

The sky hadn’t completely darkened yet. The sun was half-hidden at the edge of the horizon. From far to near, the vast orange sunset was gradually being replaced by overlapping dark blue clouds.

Outside, traffic flowed, and the lights of thousands of homes twinkled. Yun Wu watched quietly. The evening wind blew in, carrying a coolness.

After standing there for an unknown amount of time, a few knocks sounded from behind her.

It was Jiang Shangxue.

The door wasn’t closed. Seeing Yun Wu turn around, Jiang Shangxue walked over, holding a tube of ointment she had bought.

“Does it still hurt?”

Stopping in front of Yun Wu, Jiang Shangxue’s gaze swept toward her lower back, but it only lingered for a moment, not enough to be offensive.

Yun Wu slightly raised her head, then lowered it again, speaking softly. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

They were only inches apart. Although Yun Wu didn’t show much emotion, Jiang Shangxue could clearly sense that Yun Wu was in a bad mood.

Her eyes contained a shallow moisture, and her thick eyelashes trembled restlessly.

She was desperately trying to conceal some emotion.

Jiang Shangxue stared at her for a moment, seemingly pondering something. Suddenly, she grabbed Yun Wu’s left hand and stretched it out. Her palm was still slightly swollen.

Taking an alcohol pad, she gently wiped it, then applied the ointment to her palm. Jiang Shangxue softened her tone. “It’s probably a lie that it doesn’t hurt.”

Jiang Shangxue knew the force she had used.

A cool sensation spread across her palm. Yun Wu followed Jiang Shangxue’s slender white fingers and focused her gaze on the jade Buddha beads on her wrist. A small, exquisite Guanyin statue was embedded in the center of the beads.

Jiang Shangxue rarely wore jewelry, not even earrings. Only this string of Buddha beads remained constantly on her wrist.

Last night, this very beautiful hand held the sandalwood ruler…

The feeling of shame that had been suppressed in her heart suddenly surged up again. Yun Wu bit her lip, her cheeks faintly flushed, and remained silent.

Seeing her demeanor, Jiang Shangxue couldn’t help but reflect on whether she had hit her too hard last night.

But if she hadn’t hit her, she worried Yun Wu would remain stubborn and unnecessarily exhaust her body.

After a thought, Jiang Shangxue pinched Yun Wu’s earlobe, gently rubbing it.

“I hit you last night. Are you still angry at me?”

Jiang Shangxue’s tone was neutral, betraying no emotion. Yun Wu’s fingers trembled. She looked up at her.

Jiang Shangxue’s eyes were soft. The blue-gray sky outside was remotely reflected in her eyes, making them deep and dark, like a deep sea covered with thin ice. When the thin ice of “gentleness” was swept away, they became unfathomable.

Yun Wu slightly tilted her face up, staring directly into Jiang Shangxue’s eyes with what seemed like forced courage. She neither flinched nor dodged, trying to detect a deeper meaning in her eyes.

However, it was all futile.

That flicker of anticipation, like a struggling flame in the wilderness, was irresistibly extinguished by the fierce wind.

Yun Wu remained silent, her eyes showing a restrained emotion.

Jiang Shangxue’s heart tightened. She leaned in slightly closer.

“Is the wound hurting badly?”

Without waiting for Yun Wu’s answer, Jiang Shangxue continued.

“Let me see.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Shangxue smoothly closed the window, drew the curtain, and then walked to the door, closing and locking it.

Yun Wu watched her actions in a daze, snapping back to full awareness.

The previous sentence felt like thunder exploding in her ear. All her chaotic thoughts were instantly swept away.

Jiang Shangxue took a step closer. Yun Wu took a step back.

She swallowed hard, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry. “Auntie Jiang, it really doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s a lie,” seeing her constantly dodging, Jiang Shangxue was even less convinced. She stopped by the bed and comforted her. “Let me see exactly how bad the injury is. Besides, it’s not convenient for you to apply the medicine yourself.”

Yun Wu shook her head, refusing.

“Come here,” Jiang Shangxue’s face slowly hardened.

Yun Wu still refused. The surging feeling of shame threatened to consume all her rationality.

Jiang Shangxue simply strode over, firmly grasped her wrist, and half-coaxed, half-forced her toward the bed.

“Just this one time, okay? I can only be at ease if I confirm it’s not serious.”

Yun Wu was both angry and anxious. Tears welled up in her eyes. However, she was physically weak and couldn’t overcome Jiang Shangxue’s strength.

In desperation, she tightly wrapped her arms around Jiang Shangxue’s waist, burying her head near her neck, refusing to let go.

“It’s really not because my backside hurts. Besides, I’m this old now. You shouldn’t do this.”

Warm, moist breaths came in waves, tickling her neck. Jiang Shangxue tilted her neck back slightly, temporarily halting her actions.

Yun Wu wasn’t an adult yet. In Jiang Shangxue’s eyes, she was just a child. There was no need to deliberately avoid anything.

Especially when she wasn’t being obedient. Her finger injury last time was similar: she didn’t go to the hospital despite being severely hurt.

Because Yun Wu had a history of this, Jiang Shangxue was particularly worried.

But seeing how shy she was, Jiang Shangxue helplessly patted her back while maintaining the embrace. “Then be a good girl and tell me why your mood is so bad?”

Author’s Note:

Auntie Jiang: I’m older, so I’m right.

Yun Wu: I hope you’re this calm in bed later.

The Buddha beads are a foreshadowing. Let’s see if you can guess what their purpose is.