The Fake and Real Heiresses Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 7

She was terribly afraid that Cheng Xuan would become wary of her again. That would not only follow the original path of the novel but also completely undo all the effort she had made so far.

So, the next morning, Yao Yanyan unusually didn’t sleep in. Hearing a faint sound downstairs, she put on her robe and headed down.

Cheng Xianshun was standing on her tiptoes, looking for the rain gear in the cupboard.

The forecast predicted rain today. It was overcast and sunless early in the morning. Cheng Xianshun couldn’t find what she was looking for and was about to go to the kitchen for a stepping stool when she looked up and saw someone standing on the stairs.

She wore a thin, sheer robe, her long hair was soft and loose, and her eyes were slightly narrowed. Her hair and pupils were a rare, light honey color. Standing there silently, she exuded an air of extraordinary grace.

Cheng Xianshun stared blankly. When she finally processed it, her cheeks immediately flushed bright red.

She had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Yao Yanyan rubbed her hair, scanning the child in front of her. Without coming down the stairs, she crouched down directly: “You’re Cheng Xuan’s younger sister?”

Cheng Xianshun nodded, her eyes bright as she looked at her.

Yao Yanyan found her less annoying. She lazily walked down the stairs barefoot.

She was entirely pale, and her feet were beautiful. Cheng Xianshun watched her snow-white feet land on the dark wooden floor, like a patch of fallen snow, conspicuously noticeable.

Yao Yanyan bent over, her long hair hanging down: “What’s your name?”

Cheng Xianshun was too shy to look at her, her face completely red: “Cheng… Cheng Xianshun.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Go to tutoring class,” Cheng Xianshun’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum.

“Oh, tutoring class…” Yao Yanyan murmured softly, feeling a little displeased again.

She was arrogant and couldn’t help but wonder, why didn’t they sign Cheng Xuan up for a tutoring class?

Even though the Cheng family favored their son, they paid for their younger daughter’s tutoring. Yet, Cheng Xuan, who was going into her second year of high school, might not even be able to continue her education and had to be the family’s maid, serving her younger siblings.

The thought made her angry. Yao Yanyan was annoyed by everything. She crouched down, pinched Cheng Xianshun’s cheek, and snapped: “Then hurry up and go. Or are you so old that your sister has to take you? Are you missing an arm or a leg?”

Cheng Xianshun realized her tone was harsh and was terrified of being disliked, becoming extremely anxious: “I… I…”

The door behind her suddenly opened. Cheng Xuan emerged from the room. The soundproofing in her room was poor, so she had heard the entire conversation.

Cheng Xianshun’s cheek was still being pinched, and her eyes were red. Hearing Cheng Xuan come out, she turned around and weakly called: “Sis…”

Cheng Xuan took Cheng Xianshun’s hand, frowning slightly, and looked at the young lady crouching on the floor.

The moment she saw Cheng Xuan, the girl’s cat-like eyes curved into a smile. She was a completely different person from the one who had just coldly harassed Cheng Xianshun.

“Cheng Xuan, good morning,” she greeted her, beaming.

Cheng Xuan’s expression was poor. She didn’t return the greeting: “What were you doing just now?”

Yao Yanyan stood up, looking mystified: “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“What’s wrong?”

Cheng Xuan was reserved and struggled even with simple conversation, let alone an argument. She suppressed her temper, took Cheng Xianshun’s hand, and walked out the door.

Yao Yanyan was hit in the face by the wind of the closing door and was completely stunned.

Cheng Xuan pushed her bicycle out from behind the door. She saw Cheng Xianshun still standing anxiously by the door, tugging at her sleeve.

She walked over and asked: “Did she hurt you when she pinched you?”

Cheng Xianshun shook her head vigorously and didn’t get on the bike.

Cheng Xuan was slightly impatient: “Then what’s wrong? We’ll be late if we don’t go now.”

“I was thinking…” Cheng Xianshun lowered her head, her voice as small as a kitten’s.

Cheng Xuan asked: “Thinking what?”

“Thinking… if you get very tired taking us back and forth every day, Sis.” Cheng Xianshun’s lowered face was bright red. She had always relied on her sister and took it for granted. Only today did she realize something was wrong.

Of the three Cheng children, her older sister had been very young when, as far back as Cheng Xianshun could remember, she started taking responsibility for dropping them off and picking them up.

Cheng Xianshun was thoughtful. She had always known her sister worked hard, but considering it closely today, she realized her sister was enduring much more than she had imagined.

“Are you tired, Sis?” Cheng Xianshun gathered her courage and looked up at her sister.

Cheng Xuan was looking at her too.

Rain had dampened Cheng Xuan’s black hair. Her pupils were dark, and her expression was plain, showing no hint of the gratitude or emotion Cheng Xianshun expected. After a long moment, she forced a slight smile: “I’m not tired, Sis.”

Cheng Xianshun almost shivered involuntarily.

How could she not be tired?

If it were her… she would probably feel resentment.

All the way, Cheng Xianshun sat on the back seat in her raincoat, watching Cheng Xuan cycling in front of her, soaked through by the rain. She felt on the verge of tears.

How could she not be tired?

My sister is truly suffering.

Cheng Xianshun reached out and tightly gripped the wet hem of Cheng Xuan’s clothes.

Cheng Xuan rode back wearing Cheng Xianshun’s raincoat.

She didn’t have her own. Cheng Xianshun’s raincoat was a bit small. Usually, in this weather, Cheng Xuan would just get rained on. This was the first time Cheng Xianshun had given her raincoat to her.

“Don’t catch a cold, Sis.”

Cheng Xianshun had said that, her eyes red as she handed the raincoat over.

Cheng Xuan parked her bike, opened the door, and came inside.

The rain outside was moderate, soaking her completely. She walked in dripping wet, leaving a puddle of water by the door. She looked up and saw someone sitting in the entryway.

It was Yao Yanyan.

She had changed into outdoor clothes: a black chiffon dress with red rose petals embroidered on the skirt, revealing long, slender, pale legs. Her hair was tied up, and she wore makeup. She sat there sullenly, like a doll. Even when she saw Cheng Xuan return, she unusually lacked her usual smile.

Cheng Xuan wasn’t smiling either. She was expressionless 365 days a year, but inwardly, she felt a little uneasy right now.

I think I lost my temper with the young lady before leaving.

She couldn’t gauge Yao Yanyan’s personality, but she assumed the other girl would be very angry, especially since a country bumpkin had given her attitude.

With two sets of sour expressions facing each other, Yao Yanyan couldn’t hold it in: “Why are you standing there? Take off your raincoat.”

“…Oh.” Cheng Xuan had almost forgotten she was wearing the raincoat. The reminder felt like being exposed, and her face felt hot.

Yao Yanyan didn’t notice her feeling shame. She spoke awkwardly: “Did I do something wrong just now?”

Cheng Xuan’s hand paused on the raincoat tie: “No.”

Yao Yanyan was annoyed by her completely unhelpful response: “If you have an opinion, why don’t you just say it?”

Cheng Xuan shook her head: “No.”

Yao Yanyan glared at her for the first time, her tone aggressive, yet her words were an admission of fault: “I know I seemed to be wrong!”

Cheng Xuan: “Not really.”

Yao Yanyan’s tone was fierce: “So you forgive me!?”

Cheng Xuan: “…Yes.”

Yao Yanyan “hmph-ed”: “I won’t treat your sister like that next time, then.”

Cheng Xuan suddenly felt like smiling: “Okay.”

Yao Yanyan stood up: “Then let’s go out and play.”

Cheng Xuan: ?

“In this weather, go out and play?”

Yao Yanyan raised an eyebrow: “Yes. You said you would go out with me.”

Cheng Xuan pressed her lips together. Remembering that Cheng Shibao’s tutoring class was off today, she nodded in agreement.

“Great!” Yao Yanyan smiled. “I just bought this umbrella. It’s really beautiful, and I’ve been waiting for the rain.”

When she was happy, her talkativeness returned. Seeing Cheng Xuan standing still, she tugged her sleeve: “Let’s go.”

Cheng Xuan looked down. When they were close, Cheng Xuan noticed that Yao Yanyan was a little shorter than her.

A sweet, faint perfume drifted from her hair. Cheng Xuan saw her delicately upturned nose beneath her bangs and her lips painted with dark lipstick.

Noticing the stare, Yao Yanyan turned her face, her peach blossom eyes curved, her light-colored pupils stunningly beautiful: “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.” Cheng Xuan turned her face away, silently increasing the distance between them.

The rain was still falling outside, with no sign of stopping. Yao Yanyan opened her umbrella.

Her umbrella was black, with golden moons printed on the canopy. It looked very expensive, and indeed, it felt much heavier than a typical umbrella.

Yao Yanyan held up the umbrella. She looked back and saw Cheng Xuan still standing in the entryway with no intention of moving forward, so she asked: “What’s wrong? Come here.”

Cheng Xuan didn’t move. She stood under the warm light, her black hair still damp. Everything about her screamed stubbornness: “I…”

“I’ll go get my umbrella,” she said, about to turn back into the room.

Yao Yanyan was stunned: “Why get your umbrella?”

Cheng Xuan didn’t answer and walked straight into her room. After a period of rummaging, she came out holding a plastic sheet umbrella.

Yao Yanyan didn’t understand why, but she didn’t say anything, assuming Cheng Xuan simply didn’t want too much physical contact with her. She is the female protagonist, after all. She’s following the path of independence and self-reliance, and sharing an umbrella with a friend goes against her character.

But Cheng Xuan’s umbrella was far too dilapidated.

The wind outside was strong. The moment Cheng Xuan opened the umbrella, the small plastic canopy was immediately flipped inside out, exposing the ribs.

Cheng Xuan: “…”

Yao Yanyan: “…”

Yao Yanyan was standing right opposite and was nearly hit in the face by the sudden, dangerous deformation of the umbrella. She immediately stopped Cheng Xuan from using it: “Don’t use that one. Share mine. My umbrella is very big.”

Cheng Xuan held her broken umbrella, her expression slightly unnatural. Yao Yanyan sensed her embarrassment and was about to offer some comfort when she saw Cheng Xuan nod silently.

Cheng Xuan was always like this. Yao Yanyan couldn’t tell if she was genuinely willing or not, but speaking up now to go back would seem strange, so she simply lifted the umbrella higher and beckoned her to come in.

Watching Cheng Xuan walk over to her, Yao Yanyan silently breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, Cheng Xuan beside her felt as if she had a steel plate embedded in her back. Her entire body was in a state of tension.

They slowly walked out. Yao Yanyan stole glances at her. Because of the excessive tension of the person next to her, Yao Yanyan also felt inexplicably nervous, and her attention was completely focused on Cheng Xuan. Seeing Cheng Xuan stand too far away, with half her shoulder about to leave the cover of the umbrella, Yao Yanyan reminded her: “Cheng Xuan, move closer.”

Cheng Xuan frowned slightly but obeyed, moving a little closer.

The rain outside wasn’t heavy, pattering on the umbrella canopy. Yao Yanyan couldn’t stand the silent atmosphere. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cheng Xuan silently increase the distance again, with half her body sticking out from under the umbrella. She couldn’t help but turn to her: “Why are you standing so far away from me?”

Cheng Xuan pressed her lips together, not saying a word, but moved a fraction closer.

Yao Yanyan couldn’t take it anymore: “Are you still angry at me?”

Cheng Xuan shook her head: “No.”

Yao Yanyan was becoming impatient: “You keep saying ‘no,’ and I have no idea what you’re thinking. Wouldn’t it be better if you just said what you wanted to say?”

The sound of the rain grew louder. The sky was extremely overcast; it was hard to tell day from night. Neither of the girls under the umbrella spoke again. Yao Yanyan’s steps didn’t slow; she walked in a straight line, completely focused on the road.

Cheng Xuan’s mind went numb. She didn’t know why the young lady was suddenly angry. When she saw her heading into the shopping street, she wanted to suggest a different route but was afraid of adding fuel to the fire.

There were few pedestrians in the shopping street. The contrasting black moon umbrella and the long-skirted girl walking quickly underneath it captured the attention of almost every passerby.

Chen Huishu, sitting in a small shop playing Mahjong, glanced toward the window and immediately spotted the black umbrella beneath the rain curtain.

Flamboyant, expensive, clearly the kind of umbrella only rich people would use.

In an instant, Chen Huishu thought of the city person now living in her house.

“Bad luck,” she laughed to herself. The pretentious young lady isn’t the only one in Fengkang Town who can afford that kind of umbrella. She was about to resume her Mahjong game when she saw the umbrella gradually approaching the shop.

Beneath the umbrella, the figures of two girls slowly became clearer. The one holding the umbrella wore a long dress, was slender with pale skin. The other girl following her was tall and straight-backed. Walking together, they somehow gave an unexpectedly compatible impression.