Compensation
“I want it.”
Bai Xiying was staying in the hospital.
That night, the two discussed compensation. Lin Xingzhu’s words of apology finally ended with Bai Xiying’s phrase, “I’m tired.”
She had just woken up after fainting, and it was all because of the original owner’s misdeeds. Lin Xingzhu didn’t dare disturb her rest any further and could only run around everywhere, up and down, taking care of her.
Lin Xingzhu had just returned from the payment office when she saw someone standing outside Bai Xiying’s hospital room, peeking inside through the window on the door.
Lin Xingzhu stuffed the payment slip into her pocket, walked over, and said in a deep voice, “Why are you here?”
Shang Cengrou1, the woman in the black dress from that night, snapped back to her senses. Looking at Lin Xingzhu, who was staring at her with an unfriendly expression, she subconsciously took half a step back.
It had only been a few days, so why did Lin Xingzhu suddenly seem so imposing?
As one of the original owner’s bad company2, Shang Cengrou had often given the original owner unscrupulous ideas3 to do bad things. The reason the original Lin Xingzhu had chosen to drug Bai Xiying to get her was largely due to Shang Cengrou’s private instigation.
Even the aphrodisiac4 was supplied by Shang Cengrou.
Having sorted through all her memories, Lin Xingzhu, upon seeing someone who shouldn’t have been at the hospital, naturally didn’t have a pleasant expression.
Shang Cengrou thought about a troublesome project her family was dealing with recently. She calmed herself, then put on an ingratiating smile and said, “Isn’t it because I heard you tormented Bai Xiying into the hospital?”
“I really didn’t expect you to be so capable.”
As she finished speaking, Shang Cengrou gave an animated thumbs-up.
Lin Xingzhu paid no mind to her fawning5; her attention wasn’t on that.
“Who did you hear it from?”
Lin Xingzhu’s brows furrowed. When the incident happened in the private room that day, besides Bai Xiying, only she and Shang Cengrou were present. Later, she had kicked Shang Cengrou out of the room and hurriedly carried Bai Xiying to the hospital.
The night was rushed, and the bar was noisy and chaotic; no one should have noticed.
And as for the drugging incident, no one else besides the three of them knew about it. So, Shang Cengrou’s claim of “hearing about it” was very suspicious.
Shang Cengrou paused; she had also forgotten who said it. She only vaguely remembered that the person had also graduated from the same university as them.
“Perhaps an acquaintance saw us at the bar,” Shang Cengrou said nonchalantly after a brief pause. After all, Lin Xingzhu had looked so impatient that day, it was hard to guarantee she would have restrained herself from doing it in the private room.
Thinking of this, a hint of sourness welled up in her heart. Why could even trash like Lin Xingzhu get her hands on such a top-tier beauty? Isn’t it just because her family background is a bit better?
Lin Xingzhu hid her doubts and glanced at her. “Then what are you here for? This shouldn’t have anything to do with you, right?”
Shang Cengrou’s lips stiffened slightly. “Xingzhu, did you forget? We have plans tonight.”
If she hadn’t mentioned it, Lin Xingzhu truly wouldn’t have remembered.
These past few days, she had been inundated with all sorts of complex memories, and such trivial matters6 had merely skimmed through her mind, leaving no trace.
Therefore, Lin Xingzhu replied matter-of-factly, “I forgot. I’m not going tonight. You can go have fun by yourself.”
Anyone could guess what kind of people would be at tonight’s gathering.
Shang Cengrou was a little surprised. “Really not going? There’s ‘new color’7 tonight.”
Lin Xingzhu knew that the “color” she mentioned was their circle’s term for fresh beauties. Some club must have gotten a new batch of people, and this group had arranged to go “sample the fresh goods.”
The Lin Xingzhu of the past would have agreed to all these invitations; she was incredibly easygoing. And those disreputable friends with inferior family backgrounds would use these opportunities to latch onto her, attempting to connect with the Lin family to gain benefits for their own families.
The current Lin Xingzhu had absolutely no interest in these things.
Her voice deepened slightly. “Not going. Don’t come looking for me at the hospital if there’s nothing important.”
With people like Shang Cengrou, you couldn’t show them any kindness, or it would be like handing them a rope to climb up, allowing them to use Lin Xingzhu’s name to act tyrannically8.
Shang Cengrou’s face turned pale and stiff from her retort. Ever since she had successfully latched onto Lin Xingzhu and figured out her temperament, Lin Xingzhu hadn’t spoken to her in such a tone for a long time.
Seeing the impatience on Lin Xingzhu’s face grow more obvious, Shang Cengrou said a few more placating words before leaving with her tail between her legs.
Pushing open the door, as expected, Bai Xiying had already woken up from her nap.
Actually, according to the doctor, Bai Xiying could have been discharged the next day. However, Lin Xingzhu considered the doctor’s mention of that embarrassing “sensitive period” and thought it would be better for Bai Xiying to spend the week in the hospital.
It was also a good opportunity to help her recuperate.
Regrettably, whether it was because Bai Xiying had a small appetite or something else, she always ate very little, finishing in just a few bites. Every time Lin Xingzhu looked at her pale, delicate face, she couldn’t help but click her tongue in concern.
“Did I wake you?” Lin Xingzhu smiled gently at her.
Bai Xiying shook her head slightly.
Lin Xingzhu wasn’t surprised. Apart from Bai Xiying actively asking a couple of questions on the first day, she hadn’t seen her speak proactively these past two days.
She was used to it. She took out the flowers that had been delivered and arranged them in the vase by the window, adding a touch of vibrant color to the white hospital room.
Bai Xiying’s eyes followed her movements without blinking. Her pitch-black eyes betrayed no emotion; her pupils were dark, bright, and large, giving off a chillingly eerie feeling.
Lin Xingzhu wasn’t an idiot; how could she not feel the burning gaze on her back?
She turned her head, her fingers casually toying with the delicate, vibrant petals, and said in a light tone, “Have you decided how you want me to compensate you?”
Bai Xiying didn’t answer. She bent down and took out a card from beside her pillow.
“Something you dropped.” This was the first time she had spoken proactively today.
Lin Xingzhu’s gaze fell on the card. In no time, she recognized what it was.
Lin Xingzhu’s expression didn’t change. She showed no embarrassment or guilt at being caught by the person involved, calmly accepted the room key card, and said thank you.
Anyway, she wasn’t the one who got the room.
Bai Xiying’s slightly arched eyebrows didn’t move an inch. Just when Lin Xingzhu thought she was contemplating, she suddenly spoke.
“If I said, the compensation I want, is this room key card…”
Lin Xingzhu’s brow twitched. What kind of strange compensation is this? She looked at Bai Xiying suspiciously.
She raised an eyebrow. “Just this?”
Bai Xiying suddenly moved.
She looked up, her beautiful eyes, now devoid of their usual deep darkness, meticulously studying Lin Xingzhu, not missing a single detail.
Her gaze was bold and direct, yet without a trace of amorousness, making the person she stared at for a long time feel a long-absent sense of unease.
“Of course not.” Bai Xiying’s pale pink lips moved. “If I said the compensation I want is the meaning represented by this room key card, would you agree?”
The blanket draped over her body slipped down with the movement. Only then did Lin Xingzhu realize that the other woman’s hospital gown had, at some point, come unbuttoned by two buttons, revealing a stretch of fair, delicate collarbone and the faintest, almost imperceptible curve.
Her gaze swept over in an instant, but Lin Xingzhu didn’t miss the audacious meaning behind the other’s words.
She spoke, her face grim, her tone resolute9, “Absolutely not!”
She didn’t know what Bai Xiying was thinking at this moment, or what intentions prompted her to say such words. But it was very clear that whether it was a joke or a heartfelt statement, Lin Xingzhu would not agree.
“Think carefully about something else. I have some business to attend to outside.” Lin Xingzhu said this with a stern expression, grabbed her phone from the side, and walked out the door.
The hospital room instantly fell silent.
Bai Xiying raised her hand. Her slender wrist possessed a fragile beauty, as if it would snap with a single twist. She casually pulled up the blanket, covering the exposed hint of allure10. Her expressionless face, at some point, had acquired a faint, subtle mockery. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like an unintentional curve at the corner of her lips as they pursed.
She recalled the faint little mole she had just noticed. It was tiny and ordinary, yet on that bright and flamboyant face, it neither ruined the beauty nor lacked a special meaning, as if it were naturally harmonious, perfectly formed.
But she clearly remembered that Lin Xingzhu did not have this mole at the corner beneath her left eye.
Lin Xingzhu had just stepped out when she received a call. It was from the original owner’s father.
She didn’t realize it at first. Who knew that as soon as she answered, she would be met with a full-throated roar, caught completely off guard. After finally enduring the scolding and hanging up, Lin Xingzhu felt utterly exhausted, body and mind.
For the umpteenth time these past few days, she rubbed her temples and sighed deeply.
So, how did she end up with such a mess11?
Lin Xingzhu recalled the confrontation in the hospital room, feeling suspicious. Bai Xiying also made her feel strange.
Even if it was due to the drug’s stimulation, it couldn’t possibly make someone’s personality change drastically overnight. Yet, the currently extremely quiet Bai Xiying seemed completely different from the eight words used to describe her in the original work: “optimistic, positive, tenacious, and resilient.”12
Temporarily setting aside her doubts, Lin Xingzhu looked down at the date on her phone: Wednesday, a workday.
The original owner held a position in a subsidiary of Lin Corporation. As soon as she graduated from university, her father had sent her down to the subsidiary in the name of gaining experience.
Father Lin had thought that his daughter, now an adult, should understand things better. He wanted her to start from the grassroots level in the subsidiary to temper her. Unexpectedly, the original Lin Xingzhu was one to work by fits and starts13. Moreover, her superior knew her identity and didn’t dare to manage her too strictly, which allowed Lin Xingzhu to live lawlessly, eating, drinking, and making merry every day.
Father Lin had called just now precisely because of this matter. Lin Xingzhu had been absent from work for over a week. Her superior really couldn’t manage her anymore and had reported her upwards.
Lin Xingzhu sighed. She felt that the number of times she had sighed these past few days probably exceeded all the sighs from her previous life.
However, she didn’t plan to go to the company right now.
Firstly, Bai Xiying was still hospitalized and needed someone to look after her here. Secondly, Lin Xingzhu currently had no real interest in going to work.
After getting some fresh air outside for a while, Lin Xingzhu adjusted her clothes and returned to the hospital room.
When she returned, the person on the hospital bed was gone. Lin Xingzhu approached and casually touched the bedsheet underneath; it was still slightly warm. It seemed the person had just gotten up.
Just as she was thinking this, a few sounds suddenly came from the bathroom.
The original owner wasn’t short on money. Lin Xingzhu had arranged a high-class private room for Bai Xiying, so it was fully equipped.
The bathroom was on the right side, not particularly close to the bed, but if any sound was made inside, it would be quite clear in the extremely quiet environment.
Thus, just as Lin Xingzhu’s butt had settled into her seat, she heard faint, intermittent, low gasps drifting from the bathroom.
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