That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 20

How About You Help Me Take It Off?

There were definitely many people in this world named Sun Wenya, but it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, could it?

An accidental encounter on the highway, and now they had bumped into each other again by a fluke. A man and a woman, the same name, and even the man’s voice was strangely familiar. Yuan Yue hadn’t been able to see their faces clearly, but with so many coincidences piling up, she was already certain that the man and woman who had just flashed before her eyes were the Sun Wenya couple.

Yuan Yue wasn’t narcissistic enough to think Sun Wenya was here because of her, but she didn’t want to speculate either.

Her lower abdomen felt a little uncomfortable. Yuan Yue shook her head and said to Yu Xi, “Let’s go.”

Yu Xi glanced at her but said nothing.

The house was unusually lively. As soon as she opened the door, she heard the sound of two children playing and roughhousing, mixed with the voice of an unfamiliar man. Yuan Yue looked toward the living room. A strange man was sitting with his back to her, chatting with Yuan Weiwen and Yuan Xi.

The two children were too noisy, so the people over there didn’t notice their return, talking and laughing to generate wind¹. Yuan Yue watched for a long time but couldn’t figure out who the man was. Just then, Jiang Yan walked over, and she asked, “Ma, who is that?”

“I don’t know him either. It seems he’s your ge’s² high school classmate. His family lives in the building across from us.” Jiang Yan looked at Yu Xi with a smile, “Yu Xi, would you like some fruit? I just washed it.”

Yu Xi smiled and waved her hand. “No, thank you, Auntie. I’m not used to eating other things after dinner.”

Yuan Yue squeezed Jiang Yan’s shoulder and said, “Ma, don’t trouble yourself. If we want to eat, we’ll get it ourselves. You should rest early. We need to go in and tidy up a bit too.”

But Jiang Yan pulled her back, not letting her go.

“Ma, is there something else?” Yuan Yue was suspicious.

“Can’t I look for you even if there’s nothing?” Jiang Yan shot her a look and said, “You’ve been back for half the day, and I haven’t even had a chance to sit down and have a proper talk with you.”

Yuan Yue immediately had a bad feeling. “Ma, I know what you’re going to nag about, but Yu Xi is a guest. Can we please talk about it tomorrow?”

“No! We have to talk about it tonight.” Jiang Yan’s attitude was very firm.

“…” Yuan Yue had no choice but to turn to Yu Xi and say, “You go into the room and wait for me first. I need to have a few words with my mom.”

Yu Xi felt that the mother and daughter were being secretive, but it wasn’t her place to ask too many questions, so she obediently went into Yuan Yue’s room.

Yuan Yue was pulled aside by Jiang Yan. “When on earth are you going to bring a boyfriend home for your dad and me to see?”

Yuan Yue knew that every time she came back, she would be pressed about the boyfriend issue. She had deliberately taken Yu Xi out for a walk, but unexpectedly, she was still caught red-handed upon her return. She felt mentally exhausted. “Ma, finding a boyfriend isn’t like picking out cabbage³. You think you can find one just because you want to?”

Jiang Yan said, “I think you just don’t want to find one on purpose! If you really had the heart for it, why do you refuse every time your ge introduces a boyfriend to you?”

Yuan Yue was already used to Jiang Yan’s scolding. She treated it all as wind by the ear⁴, pouting and muttering, “I don’t even like those men.”

“If you don’t like men, do you like women?” Jiang Yan had an expression of hating iron for not becoming steel⁵, persuading her with a bitter mouth and a grandmother’s heart⁶, “Yueyue, you’re not young anymore. In another year or two, it won’t even be easy to have children. Why can’t you give me some peace of mind!”

Yuan Yue knew she was being quite selfish, but she really didn’t like men. If she told the truth, there was no telling how angry Jiang Yan would get.

She had no choice but to brainwash Jiang Yan. “Ma, many women are very independent now. They don’t need to rely on men. They have their own careers, are confident and strong, and can support themselves. I think that kind of life is pretty good too.”

Jiang Yan was exasperated by her. “Look around, who else is like you, at your age, not dating and not getting married?”

“What do you mean there’s no one? There are plenty, okay!”

“Who?”

“Yu Xi!” Yuan Yue quickly seized upon an example.

“Yu Xi?” Jiang Yan’s expression was a bit confused and also a bit surprised.

Yuan Yue struck while the iron was hot⁷. “Ma, Yu Xi is much more outstanding than me. She’s a foreigner who came back to China to make it on her own. She’s beautiful and capable, and she’s even older than me! She’s not in a hurry to find a boyfriend, so why should I be?”

Jiang Yan was successfully led astray by Yuan Yue, asking curiously, “Yu Xi doesn’t have a boyfriend either?”

“Mhm.” Yuan Yue added oil and vinegar⁸, saying, “Her family has never once pressured her.”

But Jiang Yan didn’t fall for it. “That’s because she’s a foreigner!”

Yuan Yue quickly retorted, “Yu Xi’s hometown is in Shandong⁹. Her family only immigrated later on. See how open-minded her parents are, not like you.”

Jiang Yan was choked up by her words and said, unconvinced, “Just keep making excuses! I’m doing all this for your own good!”

Here we go again.

Yuan Yue’s temples throbbed with pain. She was running out of patience. She put her arm around Jiang Yan and coaxed, “Ma, I know you mean well, but I have my own thoughts too. You can’t keep forcing me, can you?”

Jiang Yan moved her lips.

Yuan Yue didn’t want to hear her nagging anymore. “Alright, Ma, you should hurry up, wash up, and go to bed. Yu Xi is still waiting for me inside.”

Jiang Yan knew she was trying to escape. She wouldn’t listen when spoken to, and couldn’t be out-argued. In the end, she let out a heavy sigh and said, “I originally heard from your ge that his high school classmate isn’t married yet either. I was thinking of introducing you two.”

Yuan Yue pointed toward the living room. “You’re not talking about that guy, are you?”

Jiang Yan said, “That’s him. He lives close to our family. His name is Xu…”

Yuan Yue quickly covered Jiang Yan’s mouth, pleading, “Ma, if I want to date, I’ll find someone myself. Please, stop worrying about me, okay?”

Jiang Yan pulled her hand away, shot her a glare, and said, “Fine, I won’t worry. From now on, I don’t want to meddle in your affairs anymore!”

That was exactly what Yuan Yue wanted. She carefully put on a smile and coaxed her with sweet words, “Ma, you’ve worked hard. I love you so much! Mua~!”

Jiang Yan pretended to push her away in disgust, but she couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. She was both annoyed and amused. “Such a grown person, still acting spoiled.”

Yuan Yue coaxed her for a long while more before Jiang Yan finally let her go. She felt more tired than if she had run 800 meters. Patting her chest, she opened the door and entered the room.

Yu Xi was squatting on the floor, rummaging through her suitcase. Seeing her come in, she asked, “Finished talking?”

“Mhm.” Yuan Yue saw her take out an iPad and asked, “Are you feeling very bored?”

Yu Xi smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. How could I be bored when I’m with you?”

Those words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Yuan Yue didn’t dare to overthink it. She scratched her bangs sheepishly and said, “Sorry, my mom loves to nag. I didn’t mean to leave you alone in the room on purpose.”

Yu Xi was still smiling. She suddenly asked, seemingly unintentionally, “What did you two talk about?”

It wasn’t a secret anyway. Yuan Yue plopped down on the bed, looking dejected. “What else could we talk about? Pressuring me to hurry up and find a man, of course.”

Yu Xi’s expression changed slightly. She sat down beside her. “Then what are you thinking in your heart?”

The edge of the bed sank a little. Yuan Yue slowly turned her head to look at her and said, “I have no plans to. In any case, I won’t find a man to marry.”

Yu Xi wasn’t very surprised by her answer. She set the iPad aside, took her hand, and looked into her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious.” Yuan Yue sat up a little straighter, her gaze firm as she said, “I will never wrong myself by casually finding a man to spend my life with just to cater to the world’s opinion.”

Not flowing with the filth and merging with the grime¹⁰, not wronging herself—this was Yuan Yue’s principle, and also the ultimate reason she and Sun Wenya parted ways. From the moment she confirmed her sexual orientation, she knew she could never accept a man. The path she chose might be very lonely and very hard, but she was a one-track-minded¹¹ person. She knew she was an anomaly in the eyes of others. She didn’t ask for others’ understanding or acceptance; she could only hold fast to her own principles and bottom line.

Yu Xi noticed that when she said this, her eyes were especially bright, and her expression held a maturity and seriousness different from her usual self, making people want to draw closer to her involuntarily. Yu Xi took her hand, turned her to face her, and said with a gentle smile, “Yuan Yue, you are not alone. I am willing to accompany you.”

It was a sweet nothing more moving than a confession. Hearing it made Yuan Yue’s heart burn. She stared blankly at Yu Xi and asked a stupid-ass¹² question, “You’re not going to find a man to marry off to either?”

Yu Xi’s smile faded, her expression suddenly becoming very serious. “Do you think I could find a man?”

Yuan Yue couldn’t help but think of their absurd night together, of the scenes where Yu Xi skillfully flirted with her time and again, and she realized she had said the wrong thing.

Yu Xi liked women, just like her, so how could she possibly find another man?

Thinking about it now, fate was truly wondrous. She had been carefully harboring her “secret,” never expecting to so easily meet a kindred spirit like Yu Xi, and even have that kind of indescribable thing happen with her…

Remembering those things, Yuan Yue’s face shamelessly turned red again. Yu Xi’s gaze made her heart flutter with panic, and she wanted to escape again. “I need to go change that.”

She broke free from Yu Xi’s hand and pretended to rummage through her suitcase for something, when she heard Yu Xi ask from behind her, “Can you tell me the wifi password?”

Yuan Yue then remembered she hadn’t told her. She turned around and entered the password for her.

After connecting to the wifi, Yu Xi buried her head, staring at the screen, her fingers sliding and tapping on it.

Yuan Yue saw her prop up the iPad and asked out of curiosity, “Are you going to watch a movie?”

“No,” Yu Xi glanced at her and said. “It’s a holiday today. I want to video call my family to send my greetings.”

“Oh.” Yuan Yue understood.

Feeling it was a bit inconvenient, Yuan Yue found a sanitary pad and prepared to go to the washroom.

“Yuan Yue.” Yu Xi suddenly called out to her.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Yuan Yue turned around.

Yu Xi said, “My parents want to see you. Can you come over for a second?”

Yuan Yue was completely astonished. She glanced at the iPad and only then realized she was on a video call. She quickly lowered her voice, “Your parents want to see me?”

Yu Xi took off her headphones, looked at her with a beaming smile, and said, “Yeah, I just mentioned you to them, and they both said they wanted to see you.”

Wait, does this mean we’re meeting each other’s parents?

Yuan Yue hesitated slightly.

Without another word, Yu Xi pulled her over.

By the time Yuan Yue came to her senses, Yu Xi had already placed the iPad in front of her. Yuan Yue saw a middle-aged couple with brows open and eyes smiling¹³ on the screen. She nervously hid the sanitary pad behind her back and forced a stiff smile onto her face. It was too sudden; she was so stunned she forgot to greet them.

“These are my parents.” Yu Xi’s soft voice sounded in her ear.

Yuan Yue turned her head, and her right cheek pressed against Yu Xi’s left. Burning hot against burning hot, accompanied by Yu Xi’s scent, she sucked in a cold breath.

How can we be this close?!

In front of her parents, is it really okay for us to be so intimate???

Yuan Yue’s whole body stiffened. Yu Xi, in contrast, was completely relaxed and at ease, except that her gaze toward her held a hint more ambiguity.

“…” Yuan Yue quickly straightened her head. Looking at the smiling faces of Yu Xi’s parents on the screen, her own face instantly burned fiery hot. She forced herself to remain calm, finally regained her senses, and greeted them with a smile, “Uncle, Auntie, hello!”

Yu Xi’s parents said in unison, “Xiao Yueyue, hello to you too! We wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!”

Why do these three words, “Xiao Yueyue,” sound a bit awkward?

Yu Xi must have taught them that.

But Yu Xi doesn’t usually call me that…

Yuan Yue blushed, in no mood to fuss over it. She felt she must be smiling very foolishly. She waved at Yu Xi’s parents in the video, “Uncle, Auntie, same to you, same to you! I wish you good health, may all your wishes come true, and happiness for your whole family!”

What in the world was all that… Only after she finished speaking did Yuan Yue realize how awkward it was. She quickly nudged Yu Xi, who was pressed against her back, with her elbow, seeking help.

Yu Xi leaned in a bit closer, her head almost resting on her shoulder, and said to the people on the screen with a smile, “Dad, Mom, you’ve seen her now. Are you satisfied?”

Yu Xi’s mother was grinning so widely she couldn’t close her mouth. “Satisfied, satisfied! Xiao Yueyue is very cute, I like her a lot!”

The corners of Yu Xi’s mouth lifted slightly. She glanced at the stunned Yuan Yue in her line of sight, then at Yuan Yue’s little face in the small video window, and her smile deepened. “Mhm, I’m very satisfied too.”

Yuan Yue listened to their family’s conversation with a dumbfounded look on her face. The more she listened, the more she felt something was definitely not right.

Why does this sound a bit like parents sizing up their prospective daughter-in-law?

Yuan Yue was startled by the bold thought in her mind. She had no choice but to speak up to break the strange atmosphere, making small talk for the sake of it, “Uncle, Auntie, have you had dinner yet?”

Yu Xi’s mother said, “It’s still early here. We just finished lunch.”

Only then did Yuan Yue remember that Yu Xi’s family was in Germany. She gave an awkward laugh and, in her haste, nudged the Yu Xi behind her with her elbow again.

Yu Xi received her SOS signal. Her palm enveloped the spot on her elbow. Feeling Yuan Yue’s body instantly go rigid, she suppressed a laugh and said to the people in the video with a straight face, “Dad, Mom, it’s getting late here. Let’s let Yueyue go take a shower first. We’ll let her chat with you again when there’s a chance.”

Yu Xi’s mother was very understanding. “Okay, okay, Xiao Yueyue, go ahead and do what you need to.”

“Goodbye, Uncle, Auntie!” Yuan Yue waved at the video. When Yu Xi moved the iPad away from her face, she let out a sigh as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

So pathetic. Just one video call made me as nervous as if I were taking an exam.

But this was all Yu Xi’s fault, insisting on being so close and saying those inexplicable things to her parents.

Yuan Yue turned to look at Yu Xi, just as Yu Xi looked over.

Yu Xi had already ended the video call.

Yuan Yue didn’t expect it to end so quickly. “You’re done talking already?”

“We’re done.” Yu Xi unhurriedly put the iPad away and looked up at her. “There wasn’t much to talk about, really. This time was mainly just to let them meet you.”

Yuan Yue’s intuition told her this question was a bit dangerous, but she couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you want us to meet?”

Seeing her face full of curiosity and apprehension, Yu Xi gave a light laugh and said, “They were just curious what the person I like looks like.”

Yuan Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Along with a secret delight, there was also a sense of disbelief. “You told them all this?”

“Can’t I?” Yu Xi threw the question back at her.

Yuan Yue was still astonished. She pointed at herself, then at her. “This thing between us… your parents are actually that open-minded???”

Yu Xi thought for a moment and said, “At first, they couldn’t accept it either. Later, when they realized they couldn’t change my mind, they had no choice but to accept it.”

Yuan Yue was so envious listening to this. If only Jiang Yan and Yuan Weiwen could be this reasonable, she wouldn’t have to hide and tuck things away, fabricating all sorts of reasons to coax them.

“Your parents are really great,” Yuan Yue said with emotion.

Yu Xi blinked. “Am I not great?”

Yuan Yue remembered her recent words, “I am willing to accompany you,” and her heart suddenly started beating faster.

It would be a lie to say her heart wasn’t moved.

But then she thought of a long time ago, when Sun Wenya had also steadfastly told her she would accompany her, only to abandon her in the end to marry a man. Yuan Yue instantly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head¹⁴, and she sobered up in an instant.

She didn’t answer Yu Xi’s question. She casually took a change of clothes from her suitcase and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

…

After they both finished washing up, they lay in bed in their pajamas, watching a movie on Yu Xi’s iPad.

Yuan Yue pulled the air conditioner quilt over her chest and reached back to adjust her pillow, when she abruptly heard Yu Xi ask, “Are you cold?”

“Not cold…” Yuan Yue was a little embarrassed.

Yu Xi was suspicious. “If you’re not cold, why are you covering yourself with a quilt?”

What other reason could there be? They were both in pajamas. Yu Xi was wearing a bra, but Yuan Yue had straightforwardly come out commando after her shower. It was empty underneath her pajamas. She was a little embarrassed and wanted to hide.

Seeing her not answer for a long time, her face as red as a monkey’s butt¹⁵, clutching the quilt tightly to her chest, Yu Xi gradually understood. She chuckled lightly and said, “How about we stop watching and just lie down and chat for a bit?”

“That’s… fine, I guess.” Anyway, with Yu Xi next to her, she couldn’t focus on the movie.

Yu Xi turned off the iPad and put it away, lowered her pillow, and lay down on her side.

Yuan Yue glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “You… don’t take off your bra to sleep?”

Yu Xi rolled over to lie on her side, one hand cushioning her cheek. Her long, straight hair cascaded like a waterfall over the side of the pillow. She looked at Yuan Yue with a lazy gaze, her voice just as lazy, exuding an indescribable charm. “Too lazy to take it off.”

Yuan Yue was surprised. “It’s not that much trouble, is it! It’s so uncomfortable to sleep with it on.”

Yu Xi raised an eyebrow noncommittally, the slender corners of her eyes hooking up slightly, as if she were discharging electricity¹⁶ when she looked at people. She looked at Yuan Yue with a smile in her eyes and said in her sexy, lazy voice, “How about you help me take it off?”

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