PSMD – Chapter 162

Tao Sixian hiccuped again under Shen Ningruo’s stare and silently avoided her gaze.

She didn’t want to be doused with beer again.

Shen Ningruo smirked. She released her grip and walked towards Tao Sixian. “Did you forget what you said when I saw you by the elevator before?”

Tao Sixian didn’t respond. Shen Ningruo continued, “I know you haven’t forgotten. If that’s the case, then you should also know how ridiculous your current behavior looks to me. You know perfectly well how you treated Qiu Yang back then. Asking these strange questions here now, don’t you think you’re being ridiculous, Tao Sixian?”

“Guo Ming’an has already apologized to us. What about you? When are you going to apologize?”

The locksmith had already replaced the lock. Wen Yuan noticed the time and quietly went to the door to pay, then returned to the kitchen to continue cleaning up.

He had heard everything his sister-in-law said clearly. He wasn’t stupid and naturally guessed this person was his sister’s ex-girlfriend, but the specifics of what happened would probably have to wait until later.

“I…” Tao Sixian forced a laugh. “I’ve already received my due punishment. Why should I apologize to you? What did I do wrong?”

She became hysterical. “Did I beg Qiu Yang to take care of me? Did I make her like me that much? No, she was just being…”

Shen Ningruo slapped her, cutting off the word “cheap” that Tao Sixian was about to say.

Qiu Yang was leaning against the doorway. Seeing Shen Ningruo’s action, she also walked over.

Tao Sixian’s head was turned to the side. She watched Qiu Yang get closer and closer, a smile playing on her lips. “See, Shen Ningruo, you hit me in front of her, she’ll definitely feel sorry for me.”

“Really?” Shen Ningruo sneered. “Are you still dreaming?”

Qiu Yang walked to Shen Ningruo’s side, took her hand, and looked at the reddened palm. She sighed, “Does it hurt?”

Tao Sixian’s face felt like it was on fire. She suddenly remembered a time she had accidentally injured her hand, and Qiu Yang had looked at her with the same expression.

At that time, those deer-like eyes were filled with such heartache.

But she pretended not to see it, she didn’t take that feeling to heart.

Because she didn’t believe there could be love between two people of the same sex, or rather, she herself didn’t want to believe in love at all. To ease her conscience, she told herself that she and Qiu Yang were just surface-level girlfriends, and in reality, they were just roommates living together.

It was just that Qiu Yang, this roommate, was very special and very good to her.

Shen Ningruo’s reply pulled her thoughts back. “It hurts a lot. I knew her skin was thick and tough, but I didn’t expect to underestimate it.”

Qiu Yang lowered her head slightly and blew on Shen Ningruo’s palm. “Blow on it, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Tao Sixian watched this scene through teary eyes. She couldn’t see Qiu Yang’s face clearly now, but scenes of Qiu Yang being good to her kept flashing in her mind, making her head a chaotic mess, as if it were about to explode.

Qiu Yang looked down at the dazed Tao Sixian, her face calm. “Tao Sixian.”

“If you apologize sincerely, I won’t pursue what happened in the past.”

In the three years she was with Qiu Yang, Qiu Yang had almost never spoken to her in such a tone. But after they broke up, every time she saw Qiu Yang, she was met with indifference. For a while, she wondered if Qiu Yang’s affection for her was fake, otherwise, why would her attitude change so quickly?

She didn’t dare admit that she held a faint hope that Qiu Yang still liked her.

Because the only person in the world who truly liked her was Qiu Yang.

Tao Sixian had always been unwilling to think about this, otherwise, it would make her seem unloved, but the truth was just that.

Her family favored boys over girls. Even though she grew up in a wealthy family, she always received much less than her brother, so much so that her intentions became impure, and resentment grew in her heart.

Qiu Yang’s appearance was undoubtedly a form of salvation for her.

But everything she had today was a result of her own self-destructive actions.

It wasn’t unfair.

Tao Sixian bent her knees, rested her chin on them, and let the tears flow down. She shook her head. “I won’t apologize.”

She murmured, “I don’t want to be done with you. I want you to always remember that you owe me.”

Shen Ningruo’s brow furrowed. Without thinking, she put her hand on Tao Sixian’s hair. She didn’t pull hard, just a gentle tug, forcing Tao Sixian to look at her.

Shen Ningruo wasn’t that good-tempered. She stared into Tao Sixian’s eyes. “You think you’re worthy?”

“You think too highly of yourself, Tao Sixian.”

“You don’t think you owe Qiu Yang, but rather that Qiu Yang owes you, is that right?”

“You think your current misfortune is all Qiu Yang’s fault, is that it?”

Tao Sixian pursed her lips tightly and didn’t say anything. Shen Ningruo withdrew her hand, a look of disgust on her face. “You and Qu Yan are the same kind of people. You both think others owe you, and you never consider if the problem is with yourselves. I think if you go find Qu Yan now, you might even become true good friends, though I don’t know if she’ll still speak nicely to you after you completely sold her out like that.”

Qiu Yang held Shen Ningruo’s hand. “Let’s go wash your hands.”

“They’re dirty.”

Hearing Qiu Yang’s words, Tao Sixian broke down again. She hugged her knees and sobbed loudly.

Miao Yi watched everything from the kitchen doorway. She clicked her tongue and said to Wen Yuan, who looked a bit confused but also somewhat understanding, “This woman was with your sister for three years, but she treated your sister like a nanny and slept with several men during that time.”

“Besides that, she only told your sister the truth a week before the wedding, and then she pestered your sister for a while afterwards.”

Wen Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered. “Three years?”

“That long.”

“Yes, a long time. It’s a good thing Director Shen appeared, otherwise your sister might not have fully recovered even now.”

“Oh, it’s worth mentioning that Director Shen is this woman’s husband’s ex-girlfriend, and she was also screwed over.”

Miao Yi felt like she was the commentator outside the ring, standing next to a naive newcomer who knew nothing. But she felt like she could tell this story a thousand times and never get tired of it.

Because there were always some people in the world who were trash, and it was good for their bad reputation to spread far and wide.

In the bathroom, Qiu Yang quietly washed Shen Ningruo’s hands, first wetting them, then applying hand soap.

Shen Ningruo looked at her profile, hesitated for two seconds, and asked cautiously, “Xiao Yang, did I go too far?”

“No, you did very well. I just didn’t expect Tao Sixian to be so stubborn and twisted.”

Shen Ningruo looked thoughtful. Qiu Yang asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about what we found out during the investigation before.”

“What did you find out?”

“Tao Sixian is actually Mr. Tao’s illegitimate daughter. She was brought home when she was young. She’s always been arrogant and looked down on others. Apologizing is probably something she’s never done.” Shen Ningruo shared her guess. “And her personality like this is largely inseparable from her family environment.”

Qiu Yang: “Mm.”

“Qu Yan is like this, and she’s like this too. Both insecure and arrogant.”

Qiu Yang finished washing her hands and left the bathroom first, with Shen Ningruo following behind.

Tao Sixian was sobbing, curled up in a ball, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless.

But that was just the surface impression.

“Have you thought about it? About apologizing?” Qiu Yang wiped her hands with a tissue, looking down at her with lowered eyelashes.

Tao Sixian spoke haltingly, “Im… impossible.”

Qiu Yang’s tone didn’t change, as calm as a still lake. “Tao Sixian, do you know? I had already planned how to deal with you, but now you look just like Guo Ming’an, so pathetic.”

“I feel a little sympathy for you, but only a little. If you really don’t plan to apologize to us sincerely, I will continue with my previous plan to deal with you.”

“Your father hasn’t retired yet. I can always block him at your family company’s entrance and tell him what his daughter has been doing these past few years.”

“No…” Tao Sixian covered her ears. “I don’t want to hear you say that.”

“OK.”

“You don’t want to hear it.”

“I think your parents would be very happy to hear it.”

Qiu Yang said with a smile, “You can keep being stubborn.”

Tao Sixian looked up, her face showing pain. “Qiu Yang…”

“Qiu Yang, I beg you, don’t tell them.”

“Is that all?” Qiu Yang’s eyes were cold. “Did you think I was as easy to fool as before?”

No one was working anymore. Wen Yuan and Miao Yi stood at the kitchen doorway watching everything.

Tao Sixian’s gaze swept over them, then she closed her eyes and squeezed out three words: “I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t hear you clearly,” Qiu Yang said flatly.

Shen Ningruo looked at Qiu Yang’s expression, a little surprised.

It was the first time she had seen Qiu Yang like this.

Tao Sixian’s tears flowed again. “I’m sorry, Qiu Yang, I’m sorry. I deceived you and used you before. Everything I have now is because I brought it upon myself.”

“Alright.”

“I heard you this time.”

“You can get out.”

Qiu Yang finished speaking and turned around, not giving her another look. Shen Ningruo followed.

But before they reached the door, they heard Tao Sixian’s voice again. “Can I take a shower before I leave?”

“We need to clean the bathroom, it’s not convenient.” Qiu Yang paused for a moment, then continued forward. “Oh, right, you have three minutes to pack your things. It’s just some clothes and cosmetics anyway, it shouldn’t take long, right? Anything you leave behind will be treated as trash and thrown away.”

Tao Sixian immediately got up from the sofa. Her hair was a mess, and she looked somewhat dirty all over.

Qiu Yang didn’t know how long Tao Sixian had been living here, but she knew Tao Sixian had used this place as a hiding spot and must have been living without distinguishing between day and night.

Tao Sixian threw everything into her suitcase. She had never moved so fast in her life. Within three minutes, she had packed her things and zipped up the suitcase.

“You can get out now.” Qiu Yang picked up the extra photo frame from the desk.

Tao Sixian looked at her back and wiped her face. “Yang… Qiu Yang, do you have anything else to say to me?”

Shen Ningruo raised an eyebrow. “She doesn’t have anything to say, but I do.”

She originally wanted to curse Tao Sixian a couple more times, but the words on the tip of her tongue took a turn. She just said, “Live a good life from now on.”

“If you feel the world is unfair to you, climb up yourself, but do it honorably and with a conscience.”