The Fake and Real Heiresses Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 9

Cheng Xuan didn’t refuse and went upstairs with her.

The two walked up the stairs one after the other. Yao Yanyan was constantly watching Cheng Xuan behind her.

She was many times more difficult than Yao Yanyan had imagined.

Before coming here, the Cheng Xuan Yao Yanyan knew was merely a character in a novel—a strong female protagonist, skilled at turning the tables, with a troubled background. But not having seen her in person, she hadn’t known the real Cheng Xuan was like this.

Accustomed to forbearance, reserved yet resilient, with an excessive sense of self-respect, and concerned with many surprisingly small details.

The more she learned, the less she could approach this with just a task-oriented mindset, mechanically trying to gain Cheng Xuan’s goodwill.

After all, Cheng Xuan was a living, breathing person.

The two reached the top of the stairs. Yao Yanyan glanced back at Cheng Xuan.

She was consistently wearing a black T-shirt and long denim pants, both faded from washing. Fortunately, her genes were excellent; she was tall with long legs, and probably wouldn’t look bad even in a sackcloth.

Yao Yanyan guessed she had no other clothes to change into: “Wait here for me. I’ll go get you a change of clothes.”

Not giving her a chance to refuse, Yao Yanyan walked quickly, turned on the bedroom light, and started rummaging for clothes.

She typically preferred intricate styles; even her nightgowns had light, fluttery lace edges. It wasn’t until the very bottom layer that she found an outfit Cheng Xuan could wear.

A white short-sleeved top with a small bear graphic and a pair of black sleep pants.

“Here you go.” Yao Yanyan jogged out and handed the clothes to Cheng Xuan.

Cheng Xuan had remained standing in place. She took the clothes but didn’t look at them, only raising her eyes to Yao Yanyan.

The girl’s eyes were as black as a deep pool, her eyelashes thick and dense, and the emotion within them was complex and unclear.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

It was a strange question.

Given the context, an outsider might think Yao Yanyan had somehow wronged her.

Yao Yanyan was briefly short-circuited by the odd question, then understood what she meant.

“Are you asking me why I’m being so good to you?”

Cheng Xuan nodded, staring straight at her.

Yao Yanyan deliberated for a moment, trying hard to find a reason that was not strange and yet reasonable: “Because… I like you?”

As soon as she said it, Yao Yanyan felt it was the wrong thing to say.

Someone as cautious as Cheng Xuan, hearing such a weird reason, would probably suspect she had ill intentions.

She was about to try and explain further, but the Cheng Xuan in front of her surprisingly nodded, accepting the reason with ease.

It could only be this reason.

Cheng Xuan thought, her eyes hidden beneath her thick lashes betraying no emotion. She was just a rich young lady looking for amusement, and her kindness could only be a temporary whim.

Regardless, Cheng Xuan was grateful in her heart.

The sound of running water started in the bathroom.

Yao Yanyan sat on the sofa and used the remote control to switch to an entertainment channel. The sounds of laughter from the TV instantly filled the monotonous room, but she wasn’t in the mood to watch and looked down at her phone instead.

She had added Hong Xiaonuan on WeChat. This girl’s family was well-off in Fengkang Town. Her profile picture was a yellow-haired smiling anime character, and her WeChat name was “Warm and Sunny.”

She truly was a girl who felt warm and sunny, inside and out.

Yao Yanyan opened her chat box. The girl had sent an emoji immediately after the friend request was accepted.

Yao Yanyan curved her lips and sent a little rabbit emoji back.

[Warm and Sunny: Miss! (Hugging emoji)]

[yyy: You don’t have to call me Miss, just call me Yanyan.]

The other person seemed to be an emoji fanatic.

[Warm and Sunny: (OK emoji) Okay! Sister Yanyan.]

Yao Yanyan was delighted by the “Sister Yanyan.”

[Warm and Sunny: (Rabbit covering face emoji) Sister Yanyan, the weather will be clear tomorrow. Shall we go out and play together?]

She sent another message right after.

[Warm and Sunny: I’ll be the tour guide! I guarantee you’ll have fun, Sister Yanyan!]

Yao Yanyan scratched her chin and replied: [emmm, I’ll ask Cheng Xuan.]

Just as she sent the message, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Yao Yanyan put down her phone and looked towards the bathroom.

A hazy silhouette appeared on the frosted door panel, bending over to put on clothes. Yao Yanyan blinked and turned back to the TV.

Only when she heard the bathroom door open did Yao Yanyan turn around.

Cheng Xuan emerged with wet hair, wearing the little bear top and black sleep pants she had given her.

Yao Yanyan quickly sat up from the sofa: “Why didn’t you dry your hair?”

As she spoke, she went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and handed it to Cheng Xuan.

Cheng Xuan took it. Even Yao Yanyan’s towels were pink, clean, and soft. She hesitated for two seconds, then, as instructed, started drying her hair with the towel.

Yao Yanyan waited until she was mostly done, then took out a hairdryer and gave it to her.

Cheng Xuan took it. She had no idea how many settings this hairdryer had; there were a large number of buttons.

Yao Yanyan saw Cheng Xuan staring motionless at the hairdryer and was trying to figure out how to tell her how to use it without hurting her self-esteem, when Cheng Xuan tentatively pressed a button.

A strong blast of air suddenly sprayed from the nozzle, blowing Cheng Xuan’s face. In her panic, a beautiful hand reached out and pressed the stop button.

Cheng Xuan’s ears and face uncontrollably flushed hot. Yao Yanyan stifled a laugh, placing her finger on the buttons: “This one is for warm air, this is for cold air, and this is to stop.”

Cheng Xuan nodded and, following the instruction, pressed the switch and began to blow-dry her hair.

The room filled with the scent of cherry blossom shower gel, a scent that only appears after a shower. It was Yao Yanyan’s favorite smell, clean and sweet.

Yao Yanyan sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, watching Cheng Xuan dry her hair beside her.

Perhaps because she hadn’t used one much before, her method was clumsy. She blew from below, then from above, her two slender arms almost overwhelmed by the task.

Yao Yanyan found it amusing but didn’t go over to help her. So, when Cheng Xuan finished drying her hair and turned around, she saw Yao Yanyan laughing.

The afternoon sun shone on Yao Yanyan, giving her hair a warm glow. Combined with her light-colored pupils, she looked almost otherworldly.

The expression on her face was not the mockery Cheng Xuan often faced from her classmates, but a gentle smile that made her feel no unpleasantness.

Cheng Xuan’s ear tips burned. The mercurial emotions of the young girl left her bewildered. She didn’t understand how the person who had just been cold and angry was suddenly smiling at her. She touched her obviously frizzy hair and uncharacteristically asked: “Is it funny?”

Yao Yanyan understood her meaning: “No, your hair is straight; you just need to brush it, and it will be fine.”

Cheng Xuan touched her hair a few times, then put down the hairdryer: “Okay.”

“I’m going downstairs now.”

Yao Yanyan called out to stop her: “Don’t go yet.”

Her eyes curved as she smiled: “Stay and have dinner with me later, okay?”

Cheng Xuan remembered Cheng Shibao downstairs and refused: “I have to cook dinner for my brother later.”

Yao Yanyan frowned. She didn’t want Cheng Xuan to cook or feed that spoiled child again: “Didn’t your mother say she’d be back early?”

“Forget it, how about this?” Yao Yanyan sat up straight. “Call your mom.”

Cheng Xuan paused for a moment. Yao Yanyan thought she was unwilling, but Cheng Xuan spoke: “I don’t have a phone.”

Their home phone had also been disconnected because Chen Huishu was afraid the previous tenant, Zhao Zhilian, would use it. If Cheng Xuan needed to contact her, she had to run to the shopping street.

“But I remember her number,” Cheng Xuan said.

Yao Yanyan opened her phone: “Read it to me.”

Cheng Xuan: “186xxx76xxx.”

The call was quickly connected. Yao Yanyan left the sofa and walked back to the bedroom to make the call.

The muffled, quiet voice, separated by the door, reached Cheng Xuan in fragments. The call ended quickly, and Yao Yanyan walked out of the bedroom.

Seeing Cheng Xuan standing by the sofa, Yao Yanyan’s face broke into a smile: “Cheng Xuan.”

“If you’re willing, come and have dinner with me from now on, okay?”

Cheng Xuan was stunned. After realizing what she said, she shook her head and refused: “I don’t need to.”

She absolutely did not need to be treated kindly to this extent.

Yao Yanyan scratched her hair. The smile on her face slowly dropped, but her eyes remained bright: “Why? Can’t you even keep me company?”

Cheng Xuan shook her head: “No.”

She was grateful for the young lady’s kindness, but that didn’t mean she wanted to take advantage of her. She couldn’t do such a thing. The young lady had already done enough for her.

Yao Yanyan was a little disappointed but quickly brightened up again: “Is that so? Well, no problem.”

“But will you eat with me today? Please?”

Cheng Xuan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

After Uncle Zheng brought dinner, Cheng Xuan was even more certain that refusing the young lady’s proposal was the right choice.

Because Uncle Zheng brought a meal for five people. Meals for the three people downstairs were also prepared. And, considering there were two young children, Uncle Zheng even bought a KFC family bucket.

Cheng Xuan knew Chen Huishu wouldn’t have agreed so easily. She probably saw the young lady as a human ATM, ready to extort a little money whenever she could.

The exquisitely set meal boxes and the KFC bag were placed on the coffee table. Cheng Xuan didn’t move. Yao Yanyan opened the bag, placed all the tasty items in front of Cheng Xuan, and finished with a smile: “Eat up, Cheng Xuan.”

Cheng Xuan: “…”

Cheng Xuan looked at her with a strange expression.

Yao Yanyan tilted her head: “What’s wrong?”

Cheng Xuan considered carefully. She decided she still needed to warn this seemingly naive young lady: “You…”

“Don’t let them fool you.”

Yao Yanyan: ?

Seeing Cheng Xuan’s extremely serious attitude, she dropped her joking manner and sat up straight: “What is it?”

Cheng Xuan habitually frowned, making her look very stern: “You’re so kind to me and my family. Aren’t you afraid of being taken advantage of?”

Cheng Xuan had only eaten KFC once, when her grandfather took her when she was very little. She remembered the place being brightly lit and very spacious. Even a small item was expensive, let alone Yao Yanyan buying so much. And the meal boxes prepared each time were clearly not cheap either.

She knew all this was driven by Yao Yanyan’s good heart, but she didn’t want Chen Huishu and the others downstairs eating Yao Yanyan’s food while secretly mocking her as an idiot.

After she finished speaking, Cheng Xuan didn’t hear Yao Yanyan say a word for a long time.

She was never articulate and couldn’t say anything pleasant. Cheng Xuan felt a little anxious, unsure if she had said the wrong thing again, when she finally heard Yao Yanyan speak.

“No, I won’t be fooled.”

Yao Yanyan looked at her, her smile gentle: “I am being good to you, not to your family. And besides…”

“Cheng Xuan, I’m only good to you because I like you.”