Cen Lingqiu didn’t like it when people cried in front of her.
In the past, her younger brother and sister were mischievous and unruly, wailing loudly at the slightest displeasure. Her grandmother always believed it was her fault as the older sister for not taking good care of them, and would thus beat and scold her.
She loathed the tears of her younger siblings. To her, tears were the beginning of her physical suffering.
Ever since, whenever someone cried in front of her, Cen Lingqiu couldn’t help but recall the piercing cries of her siblings, and she would only feel unbearably irritated.
But now, with Yu Mingjiao resting against the crook of her neck, she could feel a warm liquid flowing over her skin.
Unlike the grating, unreasonable wails of her siblings, her crying was very suppressed.
Her shoulders trembled nonstop, and faint, soft, sorrowful whimpers escaped from between her lips, light and weak.
Yet they concealed an immense despair.
Like a young, wounded animal, she didn’t dare show her vulnerability in front of humans, only daring to weakly hide away and lick her wounds.
Cen Lingqiu wasn’t irritated by her crying.
It was probably because she felt an overwhelming wave of depression from her.
She stroked Yu Mingjiao’s long, soft black hair again and again, silently using the gesture to soothe her crumbling spirit.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Mingjiao stopped crying.
Cen Lingqiu then helped the dazed girl up and had her lie down on the sofa. The intense emotional outburst had drained her energy, leaving only an empty shell, numbly allowing Cen Lingqiu to move her.
Cen Lingqiu used a damp towel to wipe the tear stains from her face and the blood from her lips.
Yu Mingjiao had bitten her lip until the skin broke. Her pale lips were covered in wounds, a tragic sight.
Still in a daze, Yu Mingjiao felt the dampness on her face. Her dull eyes shifted, her gaze landing on Cen Lingqiu before her.
The woman was meticulously wiping the beads of blood from her lips with a wet wipe. She was so close that if Yu Mingjiao leaned forward just a little, the tips of their noses would touch.
Yu Mingjiao’s gaze fell on her slender, arched eyebrows and her long, straight lashes. Her lips were thin with a distinct philtrum pearl. She didn’t know what lipstick she was wearing, but the color was a rich, delicate red that made her skin seem exceptionally fair.
But below her left cheek was a small scrape. The surface of the wound still had dried beads of blood, looking as if it hadn’t been treated yet.
Her gaze swept over Cen Lingqiu’s entire body.
Not only was her face injured, but the skin on her palm was also broken. But the most shocking sight was her neck.
On Cen Lingqiu’s fair, slender neck was a deep red mark, the fingerprints distinct and deep, forming a stark contrast with her white skin.
Yu Mingjiao knew she had done that when she lost control.
She remembered everything that had just happened.
She clearly remembered that she had almost choked Cen Lingqiu to death.
But Cen Lingqiu wasn’t angry at all. She hadn’t even treated the wound on her own cheek, attending to her first.
Yu Mingjiao lowered her eyes, her gaze deep and dark.
“Yu Mingjiao?” Cen Lingqiu called her name softly. “Have you—recovered a bit now?”
Yu Mingjiao slowly nodded.
“That’s good.” Cen Lingqiu tossed the wet wipe into the trash can. Yu Mingjiao then saw the teeth marks on her finger—clearly, she had bitten her too.
Cen Lingqiu noticed her gaze and comforted her in a teasing tone, “You’re really fierce, you know. Are you part puppy?”
She touched her own neck. “I almost thought I was going to die today. Yu Mingjiao, didn’t I tell you? Murder is against the law.”
Cen Lingqiu’s tone was casual and nonchalant. She poured a glass of water and handed it to her. “Have some water.”
Yu Mingjiao took the water and drank it quietly with her eyes lowered. Because she had cried so much, the corners of her eyes were still red. Her long, curled lashes were clumped together by tears, like peach blossoms, wilted and beautifully ruined after being drenched by a storm.
Cen Lingqiu sighed with emotion.
Even when they cry, beautiful people are still so good-looking.
After drinking some water, Yu Mingjiao lifted her face and asked in a hoarse voice, “…Is she gone?”
“Yes.” The pain in her cheek finally registered, and Cen Lingqiu touched the wound on her face as she replied, “She’s gone. She probably won’t be back for a while.”
“Hiss—”
Cen Lingqiu couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp.
Yu Mingjiao pressed her lips together and spoke in a cool, indifferent tone, as if nothing was wrong. “What happened to your face?”
Cen Lingqiu looked as if she’d heard something astonishing, raising an eyebrow. “Is that a question of concern?”
“…”
She responded with silence.
Cen Lingqiu had only been teasing her because she seemed so melancholic. Seeing that she had calmed down, she became serious.
“My friend told me there was a problem over here, so I rushed over. The heels on my shoes were too high—” she explained nonchalantly, “and I took a fall.”
Yu Mingjiao seized on the key point: “Your friend?”
“My roommate.” Cen Lingqiu took out the first-aid kit that Yu Mingjiao kept in the living room. While applying ointment to her palm, she said, “I don’t have your contact information, so I asked her to contact me if she was home and noticed any trouble over here.”
“Mm…”
Cen Lingqiu felt a sting of pain. Besides asking Wen Zhi for help, the main reason was actually that the System had detected something wrong with Yu Mingjiao’s mental state and had urged her to hurry to the female lead’s side.
The System had been desperately rushing her, and since she was wearing stilettos for an important event today, she lost her footing and fell.
“…Because of me?” Yu Mingjiao murmured softly.
Her wounds, the marks on her neck—they were all because of her.
Should she feel touched or guilty?
But, she had done these things to her in the past, too. What was happening now was just her getting what she deserved. There was no reason for her to feel guilty.
She deserved all of this.
Yu Mingjiao tightened her grip on the cup, a strange, twisted emotion coiling in the bottom of her heart, refusing to dissipate.
She recognized more clearly than anyone that the woman deserved it all. She absolutely could not feel any pity for Cen Lingqiu.
She ignored the strange feeling in her heart, her lowered eyelids hiding her dark, profound pupils.
Cen Lingqiu was quite afraid of pain and kept frowning, so her attention wasn’t focused on Yu Mingjiao. Naturally, she didn’t hear what she said.
“What did you say?”
Yu Mingjiao shook her head. “I didn’t say anything.”
Cen Lingqiu didn’t think much of it. She lifted her black suit pants; her knee was also scraped, and the fabric had stuck to the wound.
She frowned and ripped it off directly, and blood quickly welled up from the wound.
She really disliked blood. She clicked her tongue softly and applied medicine to the wound with a cotton swab.
Yu Mingjiao sat opposite her, watching her in silence.
Cen Lingqiu’s movements as she treated the wound were very practiced. Every action was neat and efficient, as if she were very used to this sort of thing.
She was clearly arrogant and pampered; for events and outings, she had dedicated people to do things for her. Treating wounds was hardly something a rich young lady like her would be skilled at.
This, too, was unfamiliar.
Cen Lingqiu finished bandaging the wound and lowered her pant leg. She couldn’t manage the wound on her cheek by herself, so she would have to go back and ask Wen Zhi to help her.
She stood up, walked over to Yu Mingjiao with her phone, and said, “Remove my number from your blocklist, or add me on WeChat.”
Yu Mingjiao lifted her eyelids and asked softly, “Why?”
“If something happens to you, I need to be able to contact you.”
Yu Mingjiao stared at the phone, her eyes heavy, her thoughts unreadable.
One stood while the other sat. Neither spoke, and the air was filled with a strange silence.
After a long wait, a hint of mockery surfaced in Cen Lingqiu’s eyes. It was faint, almost imperceptible.
She had been living with Yu Mingjiao for over a month now. She had thought that by this time, Yu Mingjiao might have relaxed her rejecting attitude slightly.
But she remained as cold and silent as ever.
Cen Lingqiu sighed for a few seconds, then reined in this meaningless lament.
It didn’t matter.
She hadn’t expected the female lead to soften up in the first place.
As long as she was alive, that was all that mattered.
She put her phone away, her expression calm. “I’m leaving. I’m making seafood congee tonight, I’ll bring some over for you later.”
Cen Lingqiu picked up her bag. The high heels were difficult to walk in, so she took them off and carried them in her hand, giving her a wave.
“See you later.”
Yu Mingjiao watched her limping gait, her lips moving uncontrollably.
“Lin Qiu…”
Cen Lingqiu turned around.
Yu Mingjiao’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing, only stating curtly in her usual indifferent tone, “You can go.”
Cen Lingqiu looked at her for a few seconds, also said nothing, and turned to leave.
What had she wanted to say?
Yu Mingjiao had actually wanted to say, “Thank you.”
But she couldn’t say it. Those two words could be used for anyone else, but never for Cen Lingqiu.
This woman had caused her so much pain in the past. No matter what, she had to hate Cen Lingqiu forever.
She would not show her last remaining shred of goodwill to the person who had tormented her.
Between her and Cen Lingqiu, there was only an uncrossable chasm.
She had to hate this woman forever.
And so, Yu Mingjiao cut off that “thank you.”
So much so that she would never have the chance to say it again.
Huge thanks to Msjj and Haoyue for the support!
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