A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 109
by Little PandaModern AU Extra 3
Drawing Closer
Steam from the shower had fogged the bathroom mirror, blurring it into a hazy veil.
Jiang Chenyu swiped a clear patch across the glass and studied her reflection. Beneath a face as fresh as a peach lurked endless troubles; the faint shadow of worry between her brows only surfaced when her expression turned serious.
Her gaze shifted from pure and innocent to boldly alluring, as though a white swan were quietly observing its own black-swan reflection in the mirror.
Her mother had been dead barely two months before her stepfather had found every excuse to send her to this unfamiliar city—what kind of intentions could he possibly have?
She could not afford to tear through the pretense with him yet—not when she still had to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
The assets under her mother’s name had likely already been transferred away by him, but she still had her maternal grandfather’s ancestral house and jewelry.
Her stepfather’s reach was far too long—he wanted to cut off her chance of attending university, and when the time came, he might even imprison her in this place where no one knew her.
She was not yet eighteen, so there were some things he could not tamper with, which was why he still knew to hide his fox’s tail. But once he seized the assets in his grasp, he would certainly not be so courteous!
Thump thump thump! A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts just as she was lost in contemplation.
“I put a set of pajamas outside for you—never been worn.” Shen Hetang’s calm voice came through the door.
“Okay, thank you.” Jiang Chenyu pulled herself back to the present and looked toward the door.
“No need to be so formal.” They were barely more than acquaintances, and this new classmate was rather polite. Shen Hetang returned to her bedroom and fetched a new pillow.
Jiang Chenyu put on the cotton white nightgown—it was wide enough to fit two of her, with a few small letters across the chest.
Her slightly damp curls hung loose, making her look like a fresh cherry, glowing softly as she stood at the doorway, peering inside with a hint of shyness.
Her bedroom felt far cozier than the living room—white bedsheets paired with an olive-green thin quilt, placed right beside the window. The white printed sheer curtains hung just low enough to graze the headboard, swaying gently in the breeze from outside, lending the room a leisurely sense of unhurried time.
On the natural-wood desk sat textbooks alongside a potted plant, a desk lamp, and small ornaments; a watercolor landscape hung on the wall.
Beside it sat a small lidded woven rattan basket, its contents a mystery.
The rest of the room was fairly simple—a wardrobe, a shelving unit—neat and clean.
Shen Hetang wore a blue-and-white button-up short pajama set, sitting on the bed reading a book.
Her shoulder-length hair was tied back in a small ponytail, with stray strands on either side curving softly against her face—looking somewhat different from how she appeared during the day.
“You’re done washing? Then sleep first, I’ll be quick.” Seeing Jiang Chenyu emerge from the bathroom, she got up and headed in herself.
“Mm, okay!”
For some reason, the atmosphere felt a little strange—neither of them was particularly talkative, but it was just… odd.
Probably because they had known each other for such a short time. Shen Hetang took her towel to the bathroom; the living room clock showed it was nearly eleven. She really did need to hurry—she had to wake early tomorrow.
When she returned to bed with slightly damp hair, Jiang Chenyu was already asleep—the window open, the quilt pulled up.
“Fell asleep pretty fast,” she murmured, craning her neck for a peek.
Jiang Chenyu’s curled lashes fluttered slightly, and then she heard her slip under the covers.
In October weather, leaving the window open was chilly but closing it felt stifling—a thin quilt was just right.
Half a meter separated them. Jiang Chenyu huddled on the far edge of the bed, taking up almost no space—Shen Hetang worried she might fall off.
But she had never shared a bed with anyone before, and figured the other girl probably was not used to it either, so she let her be.
In the night, a smooth, slender leg draped naturally over her waist, and two arms reached closer to wrap around her—she froze, not daring to move.
That sweet, soft body pressed against her, and Shen Hetang felt trapped, barely daring to breathe.
The body wash smelled of milk—she found the scent a bit sweet, as she generally avoided this bottle, preferring the chamomile soap bar instead.
But right now, that milky-sweet fragrance kept wafting into her nose, and she found herself thinking it actually smelled rather nice.
She had not told her—this person was so restless in her sleep! Was it better to push her away, or… better to push her away?
Just as she tried to shift, the sleeping girl murmured, “Don’t move.”
The voice was soft and petulant yet carried a hint of bossiness, and the arms tightened their hold.
With no other choice, she adjusted her position so the other girl could hold her more comfortably, then stared at the dark ceiling and thought—so this was what it felt like to have someone beside you.
Very fulfilling.
In the early morning, Jiang Chenyu was awakened by a delicious aroma.
She had assumed that staying over at a classmate’s place for the first time would be uncomfortable, but last night she had slept more soundly than she had in a long time. Since her mother passed away and she was left alone with her stepfather, she had not felt this secure for quite a while!
The scent of chicken soup drifted from the kitchen. She got up and glanced at the dining table—pale golden broth, fine noodles, shiitake mushrooms, rapeseed greens, and a sizable chicken drumstick.
The chicken soup looked freshly stewed; she had no idea how early Shen Hetang must have gotten up.
“Awake? Go wash up, then eat before class.” Shen Hetang wore the blue-and-white school uniform, which looked refreshingly pretty on her.
“You really did not have to go through the trouble—making chicken soup noodles first thing in the morning. I’m not picky at all, very easy to feed.” Jiang Chenyu’s beautiful eyes curved into crescents, bright and sparkling as she looked across at her.
“It was not much trouble—everything’s pre-portioned, just toss it in the pot.” Shen Hetang’s voice was clear and clean, rather pleasant to hear.
Shen Hetang looked away, using her hair to hide her warming cheeks. Really now—it was just a girl, why was she feeling embarrassed?
Jiang Chenyu’s long, curled lashes were like little brushes, tickling the tip of her heart, making it itch.
Following the same route as yesterday, Jiang Chenyu sat on the back seat of the scooter, and as they passed through the arched canopy of tree branches, she realized that the scenery she had found so frightening yesterday looked as beautiful as a fairy tale in the morning light.
Ah, she had dodged it yesterday, but what about afterward? She really did not want to deal with her stepfather.
Right now, she had an impulse—to stay living at her desk-mate’s place.
Senior year studies could only be described as utter chaos. Since taking Jiang Chenyu in, the bond between the two had deepened from the heart.
When she returned home that day, Jiang Chenyu did not see her stepfather—she heard he had had urgent business and gone back to the company.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Hetang had also figured out why Jiang Chenyu had been in low spirits. She heard that her mother had passed away not long ago, making her, too, a child without parents.
Her current guardian was her stepfather—that man occasionally came to see her, but Shen Hetang sensed she did not seem to like this stepfather much.
That was understandable—how many girls in the bloom of youth enjoyed spending time with a stepfather?
During the afternoon break, Xu Jiao mysteriously pulled Shen Hetang away from her seat, saying she had something to tell her.
Jiang Chenyu’s gentle gaze flickered with a flash of sharpness. She discreetly noted the hand Xu Jiao had placed on her arm, then felt she was overreacting, withdrew her gaze, and pretended to flip through her book as if nothing had happened.
She had almost no friends, yet she had silently claimed Shen Hetang as her best friend—and she had not even linked arms with her yet. Watching this classmate practically draped over her, Jiang Chenyu’s mood soured slightly.
Xu Jiao pulled Shen Hetang by the arm out the door, cupping a hand over her ear and whispering something.
Jiang Chenyu watched from the corner of her eye, her pen spinning furiously between her fingers.
“If you have something to say, just say it—stop pulling and tugging.” Shen Hetang laughed as she pushed Xu Jiao off.
“What? Can’t even touch you now? So dramatic!” Xu Jiao released her arm and shot back.
“I’ve got a good gig for you—my biaodi1 has been targeted by some delinquents lately. They’ve shaken him down several times already. His parents are doing business out of town, and he doesn’t want his family to know. Can you go teach those thugs a lesson for him?”
“How old is your biaodi?”
“Seventh grade!”
“I can’t fight.” Shen Hetang hesitated, but helping a classmate’s cousin deal with bullying was something she ought to do.
“I didn’t say fight—just be his bodyguard for a few days. The pay is generous.”
“I’ll figure something out. We’re friends, so I won’t charge your cousin.”
“You’re definitely taking the money—this is earned labor. This isn’t some simple matter either. Even calling the police is a hassle—you know they can’t really do much about kids this age. Besides, even though my biaodi is a bit of a coward, his family’s well-off. He’s got living expenses with me, and I call the shots.”
“Alright, let’s talk later!” Shen Hetang agreed, and just then, the bell rang for class.
“Are you and Xu Jiao good friends?” The moment she returned to her seat, Jiang Chenyu looked straight at her, her expression hard to place—somewhat wronged, and definitely not happy.
“We’re okay—we’ve been classmates since primary school.”
“So she’s your best friend?” Jiang Chenyu pressed.
“Um… mm… I wouldn’t say that.” For some reason, Shen Hetang felt this was a trap question and answered vaguely.
Seeing her deny it, Jiang Chenyu gave a casual “Mm,” but the corners of her eyes and brows bloomed with delight, like peach blossoms in early March.
Xu Jiao’s biaodi had different dismissal times from Shen Hetang, so she had to skip evening self-study to go pick him up after school.
She heard the other side was a group of three not-very-old boys—at that reckless age where they feared nothing. Shen Hetang did not have the time to educate them on behalf of the nation; she simply devised a plan to kill the chicken to scare the monkey2 and test it out first.
Today, to increase her intimidation factor, she dressed in a more androgynous style.
She pulled back half her hair into a short ponytail perched high on her head, the thinned ends falling in a deliberately messy cascade—giving her a look that was dashing yet languid. With this hairstyle, her straight nose and red lips stood out even more.
A black baseball cap obscured most of her striking features, also shielding her from unwanted attention.
Jiang Chenyu kept sneaking glances at her new hairstyle, but when she heard that Shen Hetang was leaving early, her heart sank—where was she going?
Xu Jiao sneaked over to Shen Hetang’s side again, whispering in her ear, and coupled with Shen Hetang asking for leave, Jiang Chenyu decided to follow and see for herself.
After Shen Hetang left the classroom, Jiang Chenyu packed her bag and trailed behind her, convinced that whatever Xu Jiao wanted was no good.
Shen Hetang ducked into a burger joint and changed into khaki-green cargo pants and a cropped leather jacket, radiating an unapproachable aura.
She was about to ride her scooter to the cousin’s school when the back seat suddenly dipped.
She turned to find her desk-mate grinning at her with a tilted head.
“Why did you follow me out?” Shen Hetang was surprised.
“I—I—I was worried about you.” Jiang Chenyu was not sure what to say herself.
“Do you even know what I’m going to do?” Seeing her come running out, Shen Hetang found it a bit funny.
“No, but I just felt worried.”
“Alright, come along then.” She had no choice but to bring her along.
“Xu Jiao’s cousin has been getting bullied lately, and she asked me to help. In a bit, find somewhere to sit and stay out of sight.”
“But what can you even do? Dealing with delinquents—shouldn’t you call the police?” Hearing they were going to confront thugs, Jiang Chenyu gripped the hem of Shen Hetang’s jacket even tighter.
“One of them apparently goes to our school, which makes it tricky. Before any serious harm occurs, it’s hard to penalize a few social scum.” She explained patiently.
Jiang Chenyu thought of her own situation—no one could really help her either. People might even think she was just going through a rebellious phase and making trouble for her stepfather, which showed how much effort he had put into buying people’s goodwill.
For a moment, Jiang Chenyu felt a kinship with Cousin Xu.
“But if a boy can’t handle it himself, what can you do?”
“I have backup. It’ll be fine.” She patted the head of the girl behind her, telling her not to worry.
When they arrived at the cousin’s school, it was exactly 7:30 PM—dismissal time.
The school gates were packed with parents picking up their children. Shen Hetang stood casually among a cluster of mothers, looking rather out of place.
She alone took up the space of five people, and the other mothers instinctively left a wide berth around her—without a school uniform, she did not look like a student.
Jiang Chenyu waited for her in a small shop across the street. Shen Hetang even bought her some skewers to eat while sitting, treating her like a child.
Before long, the cousin she was waiting for emerged, and the two made contact by phone.
Cousin Xu wore glasses—whether he was a top student or not was unclear, but he looked rather earnest, with a soft disposition.
“Xu Ming, over here!” She waved at the boy.
“Hello, Shen-jiejie.” Cousin Xu hurried over to Shen Hetang’s side.
The last time Shen Hetang had seen this biaodi was at Xu Jiao’s birthday—at that time, the boy had been only about ten, and now he was fifteen.
She did not remember him well.
His parents were both out of town; only a grandmother and a part-time cook were at home, with no one to pick him up from school.
“Which one is the ringleader bullying you?”
“Feng Xin—he’s in my grade, dead last in the class. We had a small misunderstanding before, and he’s been targeting me ever since.” Cousin Xu’s voice carried a barely perceptible note of grievance and anger.
“Got it. Let’s deal with the immediate problem first. I’ll pick you up from school these next few days.” She figured she would go meet this Feng Xin first.
On the route Cousin Xu had to take home, there was a back alley where they usually waited to corner him.
Although Shen Hetang said she had backup, Jiang Chenyu waited a long time without seeing anyone, so she anxiously followed behind them, figuring that if anything went wrong, she would secretly call the police.
When they reached the back of Middle Street, Cousin Xu was visibly tense, and Jiang Chenyu trailing behind felt afraid too.
The narrow two-hundred-meter lane had only one feeble streetlight, casting a dim, almost nonexistent glow.
The cold wind made Jiang Chenyu zip up her jacket.
Not far away, a few scattered points of fire glowed—someone was smoking.
“Yo, brought help today, boss! This kid’s gotten smarter—knows to call people.” A yellow-haired boy who looked not very old pointed at Shen Hetang and said.
“Hahaha, hahahaha—what’s the point? We didn’t even hit him, just borrowed some spending money. Even if you get the mayor himself, it won’t help.” Another guy around twenty spoke dismissively; in the faint light, the outline of a tattooed sleeve was barely visible on his arm.
The group sauntered over, blocking Shen Hetang and Cousin Xu’s path with a swaggering air.
“And who might these be?” Shen Hetang feigned ignorance, tilting her head toward Cousin Xu beside her.
“A classmate, and the others are his friends.” Cousin Xu shrank behind Shen Hetang, clearly reluctant to face them.
“Oh, since they’re classmates, helping each other out is only natural. But borrow and return, then borrowing again is easy—wouldn’t you say that’s right?” Shen Hetang’s expression turned cold; she had clearly come looking for trouble.
“Pay us back? Hahaha—are you still dreaming, bro?” The young man reached out to shove Shen Hetang.
She sidestepped, and his hand met empty air.
At one meter seventy-three, her figure was straight and slender, and with the cap on, they could not tell if she was male or female. But at this point, that hardly mattered—keeping Cousin Xu from being harassed was the priority.
“Yo, you dare dodge? Boss, this is a blatant provocation—shouldn’t we teach them a lesson?” Feng Xin wore the face of a petty instigator, raring to go.
“Heh, so it’s come to fists? You should’ve said so earlier—easy enough!” Shen Hetang reached behind her and slowly drew out two iron rods.
Feng Xin squinted and did a double take—they looked like nunchucks.
“Come on—who’s first? Or all at once?” She curled her lip, looking at the three across from her with disdain, her tone perfectly casual.
Seeing she had a weapon—and that weapon alone told the three this was not going to go well.
But the atmosphere had been set—backing down now would be humiliating. He refused to believe three couldn’t beat one!
“Xu Ming, bringing help won’t do you any good—how many times can he save you!”
“Less talk—you’re first. If you can’t remember, I’ll keep hitting until you learn.” Shen Hetang stepped in front of Cousin Xu, raised her nunchucks, and flicked them directly at Feng Xin’s face.
Just as the situation was about to explode, two drunks came stumbling down the other end of the alley, and everyone froze.
The two drunks, as luck would have it, crashed right into Shen Hetang.
Shen Hetang stared coldly at the two, and the air seemed to freeze. She kicked each of them—hard.
When the drunks scrambled up, they both lunged at Shen Hetang, grappling with her.
“Fine—today it’s one or a crowd, doesn’t matter. Since none of you can see straight, let me teach you a proper lesson!” With that, she launched into a full-on brawl with the two drunks.
The three delinquents stared in bewilderment—were they supposed to be the ones fighting? Where had these two fools come from? People were actually fighting over this?
But they watched as Shen Hetang moved with clean, efficient precision, striking ruthlessly and without mercy. Within minutes, she had beaten both burly drunks to the ground.
In the dim light, Feng Xin thought he saw one of them cough up blood, a white shirt stained red. Yet Shen Hetang showed no sign of letting up, continuing to kick furiously.
Everyone present felt their legs go weak. They just wanted some pocket change—they had not signed up to die. What kind of living terror had they hired? She was genuinely fighting to kill!
Seeing things go sideways, the three exchanged glances and were about to bolt when Shen Hetang called out, “Alright—next up, your turn.”
Those words were like a death warrant. The three felt their hair stand on end as they turned and ran.
“Don’t run! I’ll be waiting here tomorrow—same time, same place!” Her voice carried the thrill of someone who had just been in a fight, sending them sprinting even faster until they vanished in a flash.
Jiang Chenyu had been hiding behind the wall, terrified out of her wits, but she dared not step out for fear of becoming a burden. But Shen Hetang had said she would not fight—and she had always assumed Shen Hetang was just an athlete. When it looked like they were about to brawl, she had clutched her phone tightly.
It took all her restraint to resist dialing 1103. Now cold sweat beaded on her forehead, the wind chilling her to the bone, her legs weak beneath her.
Seeing the delinquents flee, Shen Hetang patted the two “drunks” on the ground.
“Get up, shige4—they’re gone, no need to keep acting. Let’s wrap up early. Whatever you want to eat, my treat.” She crouched down and hauled the two men to their feet.
The two—one plump, one thin—climbed up as if nothing had happened, brushed the dust off their clothes, and were no longer swaying or slurring.
Jiang Chenyu watched from behind as the group walked off with their arms around each other’s shoulders. She hurried to catch up.
Grabbing the corner of Shen Hetang’s jacket from behind, her heart still pounding—really, she had almost been scared to death.
Shen Hetang was also startled to see her following.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait in the shop? Why did you come out?” She pulled Jiang Chenyu closer—in the dark like this, what if something had happened?
“I just thought… if things went wrong, I could at least call the police for you.” Seeing her tone grow stern, Jiang Chenyu lowered her head and murmured.
“Tangtang, who’s this meimei?” The tall, thin shixiong5‘s eyes lit up at the sight of Jiang Chenyu—even in the dim light, her beauty was undeniable.
“She’s my classmate. You can call her Xiao Jiang—not meimei.” Shen Hetang added pointedly, eyeing her unreliable shixiong.
“Otherwise I’ll tell saozi6 you’re out there flirting.”
“Now that’s killing the donkey after the mill7—biting the hand that feeds you! My blood hasn’t even dried yet!”
“Let’s go, let’s go—time to eat, time to eat! My treat!” The shorter man laughed.
“Eldest Martial Brother is the best!”
“She’s got you spoiled.”
“I spoil you too—come on, let’s go!”
“I don’t need it.” The tall, thin shixiong choked.
With her two shixiong flanking a still-shaky Cousin Xu, and Shen Hetang holding Jiang Chenyu’s hand, the group headed to a barbecue restaurant.
The three hadn’t seen each other in a while. They ordered food, got juice for Jiang Chenyu and Cousin Xu, and fell into conversation.
Jiang Chenyu sat obediently to the side, listening, her fingers casually holding onto Shen Hetang’s—but in her mind, a perfect two-pronged solution was taking shape…!
Footnotes
- Chinese kinship term for a younger male cousin, typically via one's maternal aunt or paternal aunt.
- Literally 'kill the chicken to frighten the monkey'—a Chinese idiom meaning to make an example of one person as a warning to others.
- 110 is the police emergency telephone number in China, equivalent to 911 in the United States.
- Chinese kinship term for a senior martial brother at the same school or gym; a respectful address from a junior student.
- Alternate form of shige; also meaning 'senior martial brother.'
- Chinese kinship term for an elder brother's wife; here referring to the shige's spouse.
- Literally 'unload the mill and kill the donkey'—a Chinese idiom meaning to ruthlessly discard someone after they have served their purpose.
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