That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 10

Chubby, and feels good to hug.

Yuan Yue had been in a foul mood for the past few days.

She was naturally fair-skinned, and any pimples she got usually healed quickly, with the marks fading soon after. But for some reason, the red marks on her neck this time had stubbornly taken a full week to disappear completely. Every day, she checked her neck in the mirror, and as she watched the marks fade, the anticipation in her heart slowly dissipated along with them.

Staying home for too long was starting to make her sick with boredom, so as soon as her neck cleared up, Yuan Yue went to the shop. As the boss, she didn’t have to handle every little thing herself. Bored out of her mind, she stayed in the breakroom fiddling with her phone, one moment scrolling through WeChat, the next checking her text messages, sighing all the while.

Xiao Min had been watching her for a while and could tell she wasn’t in a good mood. She walked over and asked, “Yueyue, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“Nope,” Yuan Yue replied, her heart not in it¹.

Xiao Min stared at her face. “You don’t look so good. I thought maybe your great-aunt² was visiting.”

Yuan Yue touched her face. Her skin did feel a bit rougher these past few days, not as delicate and smooth as before. She figured it was probably related to her poor sleep at night.

But speaking of her great-aunt, Yuan Yue paused, suddenly realizing that hers was a few days late this month.

It wasn’t a big deal, though. She waved her hand dismissively and smiled at Xiao Min. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m good.”

“Xiao Min, what are you doing over here instead of working?” A man’s voice interrupted their conversation.

The shift supervisor, Guo Xiangyuan, walked in with a dark expression. Xiao Min, having been scolded, lowered her head and scurried away dejectedly.

Yuan Yue also got up to leave. She put her phone away and stood up. As she was about to brush past Guo Xiangyuan, he called out to her. “Yuan Yue, you haven’t gotten your car back yet?”

Yuan Yue didn’t really want to talk to him. She gave him a cool glance. “What about it?”

Guo Xiangyuan looked awkward. “Nothing, I just saw you arrived by taxi today, so I was just asking.”

Actually, the car’s paint job had been finished a long time ago. The 4S shop³ had called several times to urge her to pick it up, but because of the red marks on her neck, it had been inconvenient for her to go out, so the matter was delayed.

“I’m going to get it later. Thanks for the reminder,” Yuan Yue said before walking off, not giving him any face at all.

Everyone in the shop knew that Guo Xiangyuan was interested in Yuan Yue, but the key was that Yuan Yue didn’t like men at all! And even if she were into men, she wouldn’t like Guo Xiangyuan. The guy had a ton of nasty habits: male chauvinism, thinking himself always in the right⁴, a terrible temper, and a small heart-eye⁵. If it weren’t for his strong work ethic, Yuan Yue would have had her brother fire him long ago.

Everything in the hot pot shop was running normally. Yuan Yue walked around for a bit, and when things weren’t so busy, she decided to head out early to pick up her car.

Yuan Yue told Xiao Min she was leaving and walked out. Just as she stepped out of the hot pot shop, her phone rang.

Yuan Yue didn’t have many friends in A City; the only people she was in frequent contact with were the Yuan Xi couple and her parents. She calmly took out her phone, but when she saw the name on the caller ID, she nearly screamed.

Yu Xi!

The missing person⁶ had finally returned!!!

Ever since they had exchanged numbers, Yuan Yue hadn’t dared to call Yu Xi. Seeing an incoming call from her, she was absolutely ecstatic. Suppressing her excitement, she swiped to answer, put the phone to her ear, and said impatiently, “Yu Xi, I thought you’d disappeared.”

Only after she said it did she realize something sounded a bit off. Her tone—why did it sound like a young couple bickering, complaining to a girlfriend who hadn’t been in touch for a while?

Yuan Yue’s face instantly burned. She looked up at the sky and blamed it on the sun, which was as scorching as a ball of fire.

Perhaps because her tone was overly coquettish, Yu Xi on the other end of the line was clearly taken aback for a moment. “Sorry, I went out of town again and my phone died. By the time I charged it and saw your message, I got busy and forgot to reply. I only remembered to call you after I got home. Please don’t mind.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” As long as she hadn’t just vanished without a reason, Yuan Yue thought. Catching the key piece of information, her voice brightened. “You’re home?”

“Mhm, I’m home,” Yu Xi said. “I just went to knock on your door, but you weren’t there.”

Yuan Yue’s mood was like a roller coaster. Hearing her voice, the gloom that had weighed on her heart for the past few days instantly vanished. She said with a grin, “You wait, I’m coming back right now!”

Yu Xi chuckled along with her. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Yuan Yue was about to hang up when she remembered something. “Have you had dinner? I’m at the shop right now. If you haven’t eaten, I can pack some up and we can eat together?”

Yu Xi fell silent for a few seconds, perhaps recalling the time they had hot pot together. “Sure.”

Yuan Yue figured that since it wasn’t nighttime yet, they would definitely be able to have a pleasant meal today. She hung up, completely satisfied, and went back into the shop.

Seeing her return, Xiao Min joked, “Yueyue, where’d you go to pick up your car so fast?”

Yu Xi was waiting for her at home now—who needed a car! Yuan Yue was in high spirits. She waved at her. “Xiao Min, come over and help me with something, will you?”

“Coming.”

Yuan Yue knew Yu Xi preferred vegetarian food, so this time she tried to pack less meat. For the soup base, she chose a mushroom broth that wasn’t spicy at all. She returned home carrying the packed food in both hands. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she saw the person she’d been thinking of heart and soul⁷, and her eyes lit up. “Yu Xi!”

Yu Xi was leaning lazily against the doorframe, smiling at her. “Long time no see.”

It’s been so many days! Yuan Yue grumbled internally, then walked quickly toward her. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not really.” Yu Xi took the bags from her right hand to share the load, testing their weight. “This is a lot. Can the two of us finish it all?”

“With me here, don’t you worry!” Yuan Yue declared, patting her chest confidently.

Yu Xi’s gaze followed the movement to her chest. Seeing the full swell there, her expression shifted subtly. “Yuan Yue, have you… gained weight recently?”

The expression on Yuan Yue’s face froze. She quickly looked down to examine herself. She was wearing a T-shirt and tight shorts. As she lowered her head, the first thing she saw was a chest that was a tiny bit bigger than before, followed by a not-so-obvious roll of fat around her stomach…

It was over.

Yuan Yue looked up at Yu Xi in horror. “I think I have…”

During the days Yu Xi was gone, Yuan Yue had been incredibly depressed. She didn’t want to go to the shop and just stayed home all day, eating the hot pot that Yuan Xi had someone deliver. The worse her mood, the more she ate, and she never watched her diet. Who knew that she would gain weight without her knowing or feeling it⁸!!!

No wonder her shorts felt a little tighter than usual.

Yuan Yue suddenly felt like wanting to cry but having no tears, regretting how much she’d eaten.

But was it her fault? No. If anyone was to blame, it was Yu Xi. Who told her to pull a “disappearing act” without a word?

But was Yu Xi obligated to tell her? At this thought, Yuan Yue felt a little dejected again, now even more upset about her weight gain.

Seeing her with her head hanging down, looking unhappy, Yu Xi thought she had been too blunt and made her uncomfortable. It made sense. What woman wants to hear the words “you’ve gained weight”?

Having spent so much time abroad, Yu Xi’s way of speaking was inevitably more direct. After some self-reflection, she tried a more tactful approach to comfort Yuan Yue. “It’s nothing, really. A little rounder looks good too.”

“Really? You better not be lying to me.” Yuan Yue looked at her own increasingly plump figure, then at Yu Xi’s lean body with its perfect muscle definition, and suddenly felt insecure.

“I’m not lying.” Yu Xi moved a little closer and whispered in her ear, “Chubby, and feels good to hug.”

“…” Yuan Yue knew she was being flirted with, and her face turned red against her will. Her heart was pounding as if it were about to leap out of her chest. She quickly looked away and deliberately changed the subject. “Why are we just standing out here talking?”

Yu Xi knew when to stop. She took a step back and said, “Let’s go to my place, then.”

“Your place?” Yuan Yue’s head snapped up.

“Right, my place this time.” Yu Xi paused, winked at her, and said mysteriously, “I have something to give you.”

“You’re giving me something? What is it?” Yuan Yue was full of anticipation.

But Yu Xi deliberately kept her in suspense, selling a cliffhanger⁹ by not telling her.

Thanks to Yu Xi’s invitation, Yuan Yue finally succeeded in stepping into her private domain. Yu Xi’s home was completely different from what she had imagined. She thought she would walk in to see an elegant and grand European-style decor, but there was nothing of the sort. Yu Xi’s home could be summed up in one word: “simple.”

There was no shoe cabinet in the entryway, nor were there any slippers for guests. The empty living room contained only a sofa set and a coffee table, with a dining table and two chairs in a corner. In another corner was a floor-standing air conditioner, which was already on, blowing out cold air.

Yuan Yue stared, dumbfounded, at everything in the room, then turned to find Yu Xi. “Weren’t you renovating a while ago? Why do you only have a few pieces of furniture?”

Yu Xi pointed to the floor-standing air conditioner in the corner, not seeming to care much. “That’s what I had installed. There’s a wall-mounted one in the bedroom, too.”

Yuan Yue saw that she didn’t seem very particular about these things, so she dropped her surprised expression and said an understanding, “Oh.”

Although Yu Xi’s home was simply decorated, it was at least very clean. After guiding Yuan Yue to put the things she brought on the dining table, Yu Xi watched her tear open the packaging with brute force and exclaimed, “You’re a bit of a female manly man¹⁰.”

Yuan Yue, who had just opened her mouth to bite open the hot pot base packet, froze. She glanced at Yu Xi awkwardly. “This… is really hard to open. It hurts my hand to tear it. Do you have any scissors?”

Finding her feigned helplessness a little cute, Yu Xi couldn’t resist pinching her chubby little cheek. “I do. I’ll go get them for you.”

Yuan Yue froze. After a moment, her face shamelessly turned red again. She lowered her head, hugging the packet of soup base and grinning foolishly.

By the time Yu Xi came out with the scissors, Yuan Yue had wiped the infatuated look off her face and asked her seriously, “Right, do you have a pot?”

Yu Xi said she did and went back to the kitchen, returning with a brand-new induction cooker.

Yuan Yue saw how new the pot was and asked suspiciously, “You didn’t just unbox this, did you?”

“I did,” Yu Xi said without the slightest embarrassment, smiling. “Just bought it. Never been used.”

“…” Yuan Yue was speechless.

Yu Xi saw her setting out the food by herself and wanted to help, but Yuan Yue stopped her. “All this stuff has been washed. I can handle it myself. Don’t move, don’t get your hands dirty.”

“Then what should I do?” Yu Xi felt like she had nothing to do.

Yuan Yue stopped what she was doing and reminded her, “Didn’t you say you had something to give me?”

Only then did Yu Xi remember. She went to the bedroom to get the gift.

When Yu Xi came out of the bedroom, Yuan Yue had already neatly arranged everything on the table. The soup base wasn’t fully boiling yet, but the aroma was already wafting out. However, Yuan Yue’s attention wasn’t on the hot pot right now; her eyes were fixed on the mysterious gift in Yu Xi’s hand.

As Yu Xi handed her an exquisite bag, she said, “It’s just a small trinket, nothing valuable. I saw it and suddenly thought of you, so I brought it back for you.”

Was Yu Xi saying she was thinking of her? In Yuan Yue’s heart, a little deer was ramming about wildly¹¹. The gift itself was no longer important. She clutched the edge of the bag tightly, glanced shyly at Yu Xi, and said softly, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Yu Xi suddenly patted her head.

Yuan Yue froze. She pretended to study the gift bag to hide her inner turmoil, biting her lip and making small talk. “You went traveling this time, right?”

“I guess you could call it that.”

“Was it fun?”

“Not really for fun. I was just showing a friend around.”

What friend?

Yuan Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and the question slipped out before her brain could catch it. “Male or female?”

Yu Xi looked up, her gaze fixed on her. Seeing the way she pressed her lips together tightly out of nervousness, she suddenly smiled and said openly, “Female.”

Yuan Yue’s heart instantly popped like a punctured balloon. She knew she shouldn’t have been so nosy, but she couldn’t help but probe further. “Is it your girlfriend?”

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