The Fake and Real Heiresses Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 12

“Your friend is fine. Just put a band-aid on it.”

The doctor at the small clinic said after a quick look.

Under the white fluorescent light, the blood-red cut on Yao Yanyan’s fair palm was all the more striking. Cheng Xuan frowned deeply: “Shouldn’t it be disinfected?”

Seeing Cheng Xuan’s distressed look, the doctor stood up: “Fine, I’ll disinfect it for her, but a cut this small doesn’t need bandaging. It would heal in a couple of days even without anything on it.”

After the band-aid was applied, Cheng Xuan went to pay.

Yao Yanyan, understanding her intention, quickly got up from the chair and chased after her: “No, I’ll pay…”

“I’ll pay.” Cheng Xuan waved her hand away. Yao Yanyan was injured because of her. If she let Yao Yanyan pay again, Cheng Xuan would probably feel so bad she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

The two walked out of the small clinic one after the other. Yao Yanyan suddenly remembered something, stopped Cheng Xuan, and pulled her phone from her pocket.

The screen was covered with missed calls from Uncle Zheng, and several were actually from Yao Wu.

Yao Yanyan was about to call Uncle Zheng back when the phone rang—a call from the contact labeled ‘Yao Wu.’

Yao Yanyan answered the phone: “Hello?”

Yao Wu’s sharp voice came clearly through the receiver, sounding extremely loud as if on speakerphone: “Sis! Where have you been!”

“I…” Yao Yanyan looked back at Cheng Xuan, who was also looking at her, expressionless.

“Do you know how worried Uncle Zheng and I were about you! Is your phone just a decoration?! We thought something had happened to you and were about to send people to search for you, did you know that!”

Yao Wu’s barrage of accusations hit Yao Yanyan like cannonballs, making her unable to lift her head: “I’m sorry…”

“Get out of that awful village and come back immediately!” Yao Wu hung up right after saying this.

Yao Yanyan’s face flushed slightly. She had just been acting as the big sister in front of Cheng Xuan, and now she was being scolded by her own younger sister in front of Cheng Xuan—she couldn’t lift her head!

She briefly looked up to gauge Cheng Xuan’s reaction, but the other girl didn’t look amused, as she had expected.

Instead, Cheng Xuan remained expressionless, her dark eyes holding an emotion that was difficult to decipher. Her voice was slightly hoarse: “You have a younger sister?”

Yao Yanyan couldn’t have guessed with her toenails that Cheng Xuan would ask this. She tilted her head: “Yes, I do.”

Cheng Xuan looked intently at her for a few seconds before slowly looking away: “I see.”

Yao Yanyan: ?

Baffled by Cheng Xuan’s unusual behavior, Yao Yanyan called Uncle Zheng back to let him know she was safe. Then, she walked over and pulled Cheng Xuan’s arm: “Let’s go back later tonight. Let’s go grab a meal at a restaurant, okay?”

Her eyes were dancing with excitement. Cheng Xuan watched her expression change so rapidly, feeling a sense of disbelief.

She’s always so cheerful. Doesn’t she get tired with her mood changing like the weather—happy one moment, sad the next, then angry?

Yao Yanyan didn’t hear Cheng Xuan’s reply and didn’t think much of it. She didn’t care if Cheng Xuan agreed or not, and simply pulled her toward a quiet, somewhat deserted small restaurant on the street.

Fengkang Town didn’t have many people. There were no other customers in the small restaurant. The elderly proprietress sat lazily at the counter: “What would you like to order?”

The menu was posted on the wall. Yao Yanyan glanced at it and said to Cheng Xuan: “Let’s each order a dish, okay?”

Cheng Xuan refused: “I won’t eat. Order something for yourself.”

“Why not?” Yao Yanyan whined playfully. “Go on, order! You have to eat with me! I’ll be so lonely eating by myself, and I won’t have any appetite.”

Cheng Xuan was conflicted. She avoided Yao Yanyan’s gaze: “Alright.”

“Hehe.” Yao Yanyan was pleased. She ordered a dish of cashew shrimp for herself. Seeing Cheng Xuan looking at the vegetarian section, she told her unceremoniously, “You have to order what you love. I want to see you eat very happily.”

Cheng Xuan: “…”

Cheng Xuan had never had much desire for food since she was a child. She had always viewed eating as a necessary task for survival and had never seen anything “happy” about it.

However, hearing her say that, Cheng Xuan still ordered a dish she had eaten before.

Yao Yanyan added two bottles of beer. Cheng Xuan said: “I don’t drink alcohol.”

Yao Yanyan laughed: “It’s for me to drink, little sister.”

The way she said “little sister” was pleasing, with a slight upward lilt at the end. Cheng Xuan couldn’t help but look at her. Annoyance, like ink, spread from her dark pupils.

She inexplicably didn’t want to hear her call her “sister.”

Yao Yanyan didn’t know what she was thinking. The two sat by the window. The cold, opened beer was brought to the table. Yao Yanyan thanked the server.

The dark liquor was poured into the glass. Yao Yanyan smiled as she drank half a cup, letting out an audible “Hah.” She enjoyed drinking; it felt refreshing and improved her mood. Seeing Cheng Xuan only staring out the window, she teased: “What’s so interesting outside?”

“Nothing.” Cheng Xuan lowered her gaze and watched Yao Yanyan take the hot tea, quickly rinsed a cup for Cheng Xuan, and poured her some tea.

Her hands were beautiful, moving gracefully, but the band-aid on her palm was an eyesore. Cheng Xuan watched quietly: “Does it hurt?”

“Huh?” Yao Yanyan was slightly surprised and looked at her hand. “Oh, this.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” she replied with an indifferent smile.

After half a bottle of beer, the food was brought to the table. Both of them were hungry. The food prepared in the quiet little restaurant surprisingly tasted good. Yao Yanyan ordered two bowls of rice. Neither of them spoke, focusing on their meal.

The phone rang again.

Yao Yanyan wiped her mouth with a napkin, took out her phone, glanced at it, and threw it onto the table with a huff.

Cheng Xuan looked up. She didn’t ask anything, but her eyes were full of doubt.

Yao Yanyan continued eating: “It’s Hong Xiaonuan.”

She was displeased, her lips pouting, and her light eyes clearly showing annoyance: “Just now, when those weirdos cornered you, she grabbed me and ran, telling me not to bother with you.”

Her tone was quite resentful: “I’m not talking to her anymore.”

Cheng Xuan blinked twice, feeling somewhat puzzled: “Why?”

Yao Yanyan’s tone was sharp: “Because she said not to worry about you.”

“But…” Cheng Xuan spoke slowly. “She wasn’t wrong.”

And you like her quite a lot.

Cheng Xuan didn’t say the latter part out loud.

Yao Yanyan stared intently at her.

Cheng Xuan’s world probably only contained cruel abusers and indifferent bystanders like Hong Xiaonuan.

Hong Xiaonuan was not wrong.

She just chose the role most people would choose: ignoring trouble that didn’t concern her and turning a blind eye to everything Cheng Xuan went through.

But Yao Yanyan couldn’t accept it.

She felt sympathy and goodwill towards Cheng Xuan, not because of some task, but simply because she couldn’t bring herself to ignore everything Cheng Xuan was enduring.

“She wasn’t wrong.”

Yao Yanyan looked directly at Cheng Xuan: “But I just can’t forgive her.”

“I can’t forgive everyone who has ever bullied you.”

Yao Yanyan pressed her lips together, her eyes beginning to turn red: “Even if they apologize, what they did to you can never be undone.”

In the hot little restaurant, the girl’s voice cracked with emotion. Cheng Xuan’s heart almost stopped. She could barely hear her own breathing, her eyes fixated only on the red rim around Yao Yanyan’s eyes.

Yao Yanyan smiled bitterly, her light pupils shining brightly: “Cheng Xuan, can’t you be a little more selfish?”

The two finished eating and left the restaurant. It was already late.

In early August, the evening breeze was slightly cool, and the streets were mostly deserted. They walked side-by-side, neither speaking.

Yao Yanyan felt embarrassed by her emotional outburst just now. She remained silent, all her attention focused on the girl beside her. Walking with her head down, she didn’t notice a stone on the ground. Her heart leaped in alarm, but an slender arm shot out just in time, steadying her before she could fall.

“Phew…” Yao Yanyan was startled and stopped walking. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” Cheng Xuan withdrew her hand and walked back to her side.

They walked silently for a while, then Cheng Xuan spoke: “About that.”

Yao Yanyan was a little surprised: “What is it?”

Cheng Xuan seemed reluctant to voice it: “It’s nothing.”

Yao Yanyan smiled: “What is it? Tell me.”

The refreshing evening breeze blew, seemingly softening the awkwardness between them. Cheng Xuan asked: “Are you and your sister close?”

Yao Yanyan hadn’t expected Cheng Xuan to ask this. She raised an eyebrow: “Very close. A normal sisterly relationship.”

Yao Wu would be Cheng Xuan’s sister in the future. Yao Yanyan hoped Cheng Xuan would like Yao Wu, so she only spoke highly of her.

“She can be a little contradictory—at first glance, she might seem annoying, but she’s actually a very gentle and caring girl.”

“You’ll like her when you meet her, too.” Yao Yanyan smiled slightly.

“Is that so?” Cheng Xuan looked down, unswayed.

“Yes, she’s genuinely lovely,” Yao Yanyan said.

Cheng Xuan was silent for a moment, then asked a strange question: “What about me?”

“Huh?” Yao Yanyan was surprised.

Cheng Xuan seemed to lack the courage to even look at her: “Does my personality… make you dislike me?”

“Of course not!”

Yao Yanyan’s answer was loud: “How could I dislike you? You’re my sister, too!”

After she said this, Cheng Xuan didn’t speak for a long time.

After a long pause, a soft, faint “Is that so?” escaped her lips, scattered by the evening wind. No one heard it.

The two returned to the Cheng family house. The dim yellow light of the downstairs entrance lamp was on. Two pots of vibrant flowers and a beige bag were placed by the door.

Uncle Zheng, being a man, hadn’t brought the items upstairs, and he didn’t trust Chen Huishu and the others to take them up, so he left the bag and flowers at the door. Fortunately, the two pots of flowers were small and very light.

Cheng Xuan helped Yao Yanyan carry one pot of flowers and the bag. The two went upstairs one after the other.

After turning on the light, Yao Yanyan asked: “Are you taking a shower tonight?”

Cheng Xuan pursed her lips: “I’ll shower downstairs.”

Yao Yanyan didn’t press her. She was afraid that being too aggressive would make Cheng Xuan uncomfortable.

It was very late when Cheng Xuan returned to her own room.

The room was still messy, packed full of cardboard boxes. Cheng Xuan lay down on the bed, picked up the novel, and continued reading where she had left off yesterday.

Just as she turned a page, a gentle knock sounded on the door.

Yao Yanyan’s sweet, soft voice came from outside the door: “Cheng Xuan, are you asleep?”

Cheng Xuan was slightly startled. She put down the book and hurried out of bed to open the door.

Yao Yanyan stood outside, wearing a pink nightgown. Her skin was snow-white, her long hair gathered in a fluffy bun. She held a pot of purple flowers in her arms—the flowers Yao Yanyan had chosen when they went to the Flower and Bird Market today.

“Here, this is my gift to you.”

The flowers were placed in Cheng Xuan’s hands. Yao Yanyan’s voice was laced with a smile: “I just watered them.”

“Alright, good night.”

She smiled at Cheng Xuan, her honey-colored eyes like sugar.

“…Good night.” Cheng Xuan took the flowers and replied to her.