Blame the Villain – Chapter 14

The Villainous Film Empress (14)

A little rich girl bent on saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful Film Empress

Song Xuyi thought she was hallucinating, yet the Zhao Qingyu standing before her still wore an entirely serious expression.

            

Clutching her collar tightly, Song Xuyi told herself that she absolutely could not back down this time. She stared wide-eyed at Zhao Qingyu. “M-my clothes aren’t wet inside, and besides, I didn’t bring any clothes to change into…”

“—Achoo!”

Before she could even finish her sentence, however, Song Xuyi could not help but let out a sneeze…

            

She was utterly mortified.

Zhao Qingyu, on the other hand, knitted her brows tightly.

Reaching out, she touched Song Xuyi’s forehead. She poured some hot water into the thermos lid, took out some cold medicine, and pressed them into Song Xuyi’s hands. She spoke in a cold voice, “Doesn’t Doctor Song realize she has a cold?”

            

Song Xuyi naturally knew she had a cold. Strictly speaking, she actually had brought some disposable underwear, tucked away in the inner pocket of her bag…

But there was truly no need for her to change her clothes. Besides… if she did, and Zhao Qingyu saw her shadow on the wall then, she would definitely realize that Song Xuyi had caught her changing earlier…

How embarrassing!

            

“I really didn’t bring any spare clothes for myself. If you don’t believe me, you can search my bag…” Blushing furiously, Song Xuyi stiffened her neck and continued to lie.

Zhao Qingyu did not search the bag.

Standing before Song Xuyi, she gazed at her thoughtfully. Something flickered deep within those dark eyes before she finally sighed, her tone softening slightly as she stroked Song Xuyi’s head. “Take the medicine first. The water is getting cold.”

            

Song Xuyi let out a sigh of relief.

Afraid that Zhao Qingyu would bring up the changing issue again, Song Xuyi quickly took the medicine. As the hot water traveled down to her stomach, her entire body warmed up considerably. She stretched her stiff limbs, but a sudden gust of cold wind blew in from outside, sending her into another fit of sneezes.

Zhao Qingyu stood up.

            

She scanned their surroundings, spotted the raincoat Song Xuyi had shed, and used some branches to prop it up across the cave entrance, blocking the incoming wind.

Next, Zhao Qingyu took the utility knife Song Xuyi had brought and quickly sliced open the large waterproof backpack, laying it flat on the ground to serve as a makeshift mat…

During the dismantling process, Zhao Qingyu seemed to discover the secret hidden in the inner pocket. Her movements faltered for a fraction of a second. Song Xuyi’s heart nearly leaped into her throat, but Zhao Qingyu said nothing, not even raising her head to look at her.

            

Song Xuyi let out another sigh of relief, finally relaxing.

Then, Zhao Qingyu moved the pile of semi-dry branches nearby closer to the fire.

With these swift adjustments, the drafty, frigid cave instantly grew cozy and warm.

            

She had not expected Zhao Qingyu to possess such excellent survival skills!

Watching this from the side, Song Xuyi clicked her tongue in silent admiration.

And yet…

            

Zhao Qingyu was unusually silent tonight, her face stripped of its customary smile. Was this her true self?

…

Leaning against the wall, Song Xuyi’s thoughts drifted aimlessly. The medicine was likely taking effect, leaving her head feeling heavy and groggy.

            

“Xuyi…”

Suddenly, Song Xuyi heard Zhao Qingyu calling her.

“Xuyi, come over here.”

            

Zhao Qingyu sat by the fire on the mat crafted from the waterproof bag. Her eyes rippled with emotion as she suddenly smiled gently at Song Xuyi, her voice low and melodious.

The smile was stunningly beautiful, like melting snow and a hundred flowers in bloom. It left the already-dazed Song Xuyi completely lightheaded.

In a daze, Song Xuyi slowly shuffled over to Zhao Qingyu’s side. But the moment she sat down…

            

A sharp zip of a zipper being pulled down rang out!

Song Xuyi jolted awake, her eyes widening as she looked down.

—Zhao Qingyu had unzipped Xuyi’s down jacket!

            

Song Xuyi froze completely, staring blankly at Zhao Qingyu. The Film Empress’s expression, however, remained entirely calm. Having apparently verified that Song Xuyi had not lied and that her inner layer was indeed dry, the tightness in Zhao Qingyu’s brow finally relaxed.

How could she do this?!

Song Xuyi’s face burned with shame. She had rushed out in such a hurry that she was wearing a rabbit pajama set underneath. Fearing the cold, she had hastily thrown a sweater over it, but the hood of her pajamas had not been tucked in, leaving a pair of long rabbit ears dangling outside. At the thought of Zhao Qingyu seeing her in such a disheveled state, she wished she could sink into the ground.

            

She originally wanted to zip her down jacket back up, but meeting Zhao Qingyu’s gradually chilling gaze, Song Xuyi felt inexplicably like a field mouse targeted by a snake on 《Animal World¹》. Her body stiffened. Resigned to her fate, she flushed red and finally shed her jacket…

But Zhao Qingyu did not look at what she was wearing at all.

The moment Song Xuyi slipped out of her jacket, another sharp zip sounded beside her. Immediately after, she fell into a warm embrace.

            

Wrapping Song Xuyi inside her own large down jacket, Zhao Qingyu held her close as they sat together on the mat. She pulled Xuyi’s discarded jacket over them as an extra layer. She spoke in a hoarse voice, “This way, you won’t be cold…”

Song Xuyi was utterly at a loss for words.

Her entire body felt hot and stiff, her face flushing so red she felt as though it were about to drip blood. She did not dare make a single movement.

            

Only now did she remember that she had not told Zhao Qingyu about the disposable underwear in the inner pocket. Zhao Qingyu had likely not found them while changing, which meant she was wearing only the loungewear Xuyi had brought, without any undergarments. With her head buried against Zhao Qingyu’s neck, Song Xuyi’s arm was pressing directly against Zhao Qingyu’s…

In that instant, Song Xuyi wanted nothing more than to burst into tears.

“Now you can sleep in peace!”

            

Above her head, Zhao Qingyu spoke softly, gently patting her back.

But how could Song Xuyi possibly sleep under these circumstances?

Inhaling the delicate fragrance radiating from Zhao Qingyu’s skin, Song Xuyi only felt her body grow hotter, as if she were about to combust!

            

She closed her eyes, but even after a long time, sleep remained entirely elusive.

“I can’t sleep. Why don’t you sleep first? We can take turns keeping watch. I’ll wake you up for the second half of the night…”

Song Xuyi opened her eyes and looked up at Zhao Qingyu. Perhaps once Zhao Qingyu falls asleep, I can quietly slide away. That way, it won’t be so awkward…

            

“Can’t sleep?”

Zhao Qingyu fell silent for a moment. Song Xuyi could not tell if it was just her imagination, but Zhao Qingyu’s face seemed slightly flushed as well.

Her voice grew increasingly hoarse, as if she were holding something back. Taking a deep breath, she patted Song Xuyi’s back gently, like soothing a child. “…Then let me tell you a story.”

            

Song Xuyi did not particularly want to hear a story, but Zhao Qingyu had already begun:

“About twenty years ago, a woman was born in a small mountain village. She was a posthumous child whose father passed away before she was born. Her mother raised her until she was eight, then also left this world. Only then did the girl learn that most of the women in her family suffered from the Sleeping Disease, and many did not live past the age of thirty…”

“The villagers did not abandon her. They provided her with food and clothing, and supported her education. When they heard she had been accepted into a film academy and would become the village’s first top student, every family donated money and goods, wishing only for her to study hard…”

            

“In the beginning, her sole focus was to become a big star so she could repay the villagers in her lifetime. But in her senior year, she met a man. He came from a wealthy, powerful family and pursued her passionately. She fell for him and ended up pregnant with his child…”

“She thought she had found her true love, but the man’s mother drove her away from his side, using the Sleeping Disease as her excuse…”

…

            

Song Xuyi had not expected to hear a tale like this.

It felt incredibly real—so real that it seemed to have actually happened.

Song Xuyi felt a wave of sadness wash over her.

            

The woman’s life in the story was far too tragic. When Song Xuyi heard about the pregnancy, she could vaguely guess some of the truth, but she did not dare ask aloud. She could only hang her head in silence.

With the effects of the medicine pulling her under, Song Xuyi did not even know when she eventually drifted off to sleep.

She lost track of time, but in her hazy dreams, she seemed to hear a soft sigh. Then, someone pressed a gentle, deeply restrained kiss against her forehead…

            

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Zhao Qingyu did not know whether her luck was good or bad.

She had originally intended to slip away secretly to pay respects² to her grandparents, but she ran into extreme weather halfway there.

Perhaps fate had taken pity on her; shortly after realizing the severity of the weather, she stumbled upon a cave. Inside, she found some dry branches left behind by past travelers, which were just enough to keep the chill at bay.

            

Yet outside, the freezing rain and hail continued to pour without pause. The temperature plummeted further. Clad in soaking wet clothes that clung to her skin, cold and starving, Zhao Qingyu wondered for the first time if she would not make it through.

She had survived far too many hardships in her life.

As a young child, she had watched her mother sink into depression, weeping day in and day out. At a tender age, Zhao Qingyu had sold flowers and collected recyclables just to keep them both fed.

            

Her mother managed to survive past the age of thirty, but she could not cope with the reality that she had never actually had the Sleeping Disease, eventually losing her mind. During the dark days before Auntie Liu appeared, Zhao Qingyu’s life had been brutal. Every day, she had to watch over her mad mother while enduring her beatings. When hunger became unbearable, she had even dug through trash heaps for scraps of food.

In the early stages of starting her own business, she was swindled by a partner and nearly lost everything. When she first entered the entertainment industry to hone her acting skills from the ground up, she was targeted and slapped by a prominent actress.

…

            

Those painful memories flooded her mind, and by the time Zhao Qingyu pulled herself back to reality, she realized she was thinking of Song Xuyi once again.

For the past month, their morning runs had been the happiest moments of her day.

In truth, she had recently realized something: she had fallen in love with Song Xuyi.

            

That was why she had willfully pestered Song Xuyi into chatting with her every day, taking pleasure in teasing her just to watch her blush…

Zhao Qingyu had never imagined she could be so childish.

Yet, Zhao Qingyu could only suppress her feelings. Carrying so much darkness within her, she was unworthy of someone as bright as Song Xuyi.

            

Moreover, even though her mother had escaped the Sleeping Disease, the genetic shadow remained. She might not be as fortunate, and there was still a strong possibility she would not live past thirty.

…

Previously, her mind had been entirely consumed by her quest for vengeance against the man’s family; she had never expected to fall in love. She had originally planned to distance herself from Song Xuyi, resolving to cut all ties completely once Song Xuyi’s summer break ended.

            

She never expected that Song Xuyi would brave such danger just to find her!

Every pent-up emotion spilled over tonight—grief, self-reproach, anxiety, and aching tenderness… Zhao Qingyu could no longer force a practiced smile.

She wanted so desperately to tell Song Xuyi that she loved her—truly, deeply loved her! She had never felt this way about anyone before, loved her so much her chest ached with the weight of it…

            

Yet she could not utter a single word, and even her embrace had to be cautious and tentative.

She had told Song Xuyi her mother’s story only to remind herself that she had no right to love her right now.

In the quiet of the night, she made a silent vow to do everything in her power to treat Song Xuyi well from this day forward, while keeping her feelings hidden so as not to burden her…

            

And yet, she ultimately could not resist pressing a devout kiss against Song Xuyi’s forehead. If… heaven shows mercy and she luckily survived past thirty, then she would definitely let Song Xuyi know her feelings…

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The author has something to say:

I’ve been dragged away for a business trip that will last about twenty days. I only have time to write at night.

            

Future updates will be posted rather late, so please don’t stay up for them. Read them during the day instead.

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