That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 43

Because the Person I Like Is a Woman, Just Like Me.

Seeing Zhuang Xiaochen wandering the streets looking miserable, Yuan Yue’s sympathy suddenly flooded over¹. She slowly drove the car over.

A Volkswagen suddenly stopped, blocking her line of sight. Zhuang Xiaochen looked up in a daze, only to see Yuan Yue’s face in the lowered car window. She froze for a moment, then looked past Yuan Yue to see Yu Xi in the passenger seat, and broke into a smile. “Hello, you two! What a coincidence!”

Seeing the other woman greet her so naturally, Yuan Yue actually felt a little embarrassed. She said awkwardly, “Do you need a ride?”

Zhuang Xiaochen was quite surprised. Although the other woman looked very reluctant, she still chose to accept with pleasure. “Okay! Thank you!”

Seeing that her leg was injured, Yuan Yue opened the door, got out, and helped support her. Looking as if she was receiving a favor as if startled², Zhuang Xiaochen said awkwardly, “It’s actually not a big deal, I can manage on my own.”

Despite her words, Yuan Yue decided a good person does things to the end³ and carefully helped her into the back seat.

Zhuang Xiaochen had specifically worn long black pants today, so Yuan Yue couldn’t see the injury on her leg. Seeing her panting just from getting into the car, she couldn’t help but ask, “How did you get hurt? Is it very serious?”

Seeing Yuan Yue stop the car in front of her and offer a ride home today, Zhuang Xiaochen already found it very strange. Although she knew Yuan Yue wasn’t genuinely concerned about her, those two abrupt questions gave rise to some peculiar thoughts in her mind.

After Zhuang Xiaochen’s foot was injured, Xu Ming had been half-coerced into taking her to the hospital, and after that, no one had cared whether she lived or died. She knew she was being pathetic, but she couldn’t help but feel touched. She pulled up her pant leg, revealing a highly swollen ankle, and said with a bitter smile, “I crippled myself chasing after a man. Luckily, it’s not permanently damaged. Thank you for your concern, Miss Yuan.”

Seeing the thick layers of gauze, Yuan Yue was secretly alarmed. She said sheepishly, “It looks pretty serious. Sit tight and be careful not to bump it. I’ll take you home first.”

Zhuang Xiaochen was immensely grateful and readily gave her address.

Because of Zhuang Xiaochen’s sudden intrusion, the atmosphere in the car became somewhat stiff. The three of them each harbored matters of the heart⁴, and there was no conversation between them.

Yu Xi had originally planned to call Jie Ran, but now she had to put it on hold. She silently fiddled with her camera, found the photos of her and Yuan Yue that the person had secretly taken earlier, and deleted them without a second thought.

About half an hour later, Zhuang Xiaochen’s voice broke the silence in the car. “We’re here. You can stop right here.”

Yuan Yue did as she said, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Without saying a second word, she once again opened the door, got out, and helped Zhuang Xiaochen out.

Zhuang Xiaochen thanked her profusely.

This was a residential complex. Yuan Yue helped her to the entrance of the complex, looked around, and said, “What floor do you live on? Do you want me to walk you up?”

Zhuang Xiaochen smiled faintly and politely declined, “I’m already extremely grateful that you brought me here. There’s an elevator to go upstairs, so I won’t trouble you any further.”

Yuan Yue didn’t insist. She helped her walk over to a spot shaded from the sun and said, “Be careful then. We’re leaving. Goodbye!”

“Miss Yuan, wait.”

Yuan Yue turned back, looking at her quizzically.

Zhuang Xiaochen placed one hand on the wall for support. Once she was steady, she said slowly, “Has Xu Ming contacted you recently?”

Yuan Yue was taken aback, not expecting her to ask such a question. She couldn’t help but recall Yu Xi saying before that there was definitely something fishy between Zhuang Xiaochen and Xu Ming. Now, seeing Zhuang Xiaochen’s nervous expression, a sliver of doubt rose in her heart.

Yuan Yue composed her expression and said, “No. That day, he said you were injured and took you to the hospital. After that, he went back to the county town. We haven’t been in contact since.”

Zhuang Xiaochen breathed a sigh of relief internally and forced a smile. “It’s nothing, I was just asking casually.”

Half-believing, half-doubting, Yuan Yue studied her face and hesitated, “You and Xu Ming…”

A rare look of panic appeared on Zhuang Xiaochen’s face. She looked up at Yuan Yue and said in a heavy voice, “We were university classmates. You should know that, right?”

Xu Ming had mentioned this before, so Yuan Yue nodded.

Zhuang Xiaochen gathered her thoughts for a moment, then sighed softly. “We used to be together. We were each other’s first love. Later, we broke up for some unavoidable reasons.”

After hearing her out, Yuan Yue didn’t feel shocked at all. It was always the same old story between men and women. She had actually guessed it long ago, but because she wasn’t familiar with Zhuang Xiaochen, she didn’t know how to continue the conversation. “Then you two…”

“Miss Yuan, I need to apologize to you.” Fortunately, Zhuang Xiaochen interrupted her at just the right moment.

Yuan Yue was very confused. “Why are you suddenly apologizing to me?”

It was unclear whether it was due to the pain or something else, but Zhuang Xiaochen’s body swayed, though not enough to fall. She shifted her stance and said unhurriedly, “I don’t know why you wanted to meet with Xu Ming, but I know that you and Miss Yu have a very good relationship. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone about your relationship, so I could only gain his sympathy to get him away.”

At this point, Zhuang Xiaochen paused. Yuan Yue’s gaze shifted downward, inadvertently glancing at her injured foot.

Seeing that Yuan Yue had no reaction, Zhuang Xiaochen calmed her breathing slightly and continued, “Regardless of whether you had any intentions or not, in short, I was the one who deliberately snatched him away first. It was my fault. I just don’t want Xu Ming to be hurt in any way.”

Yuan Yue had not expected Zhuang Xiaochen to say all this to her, nor had she imagined that Zhuang Xiaochen, who had always given her the impression of being slick and worldly, would actually injure her own foot on purpose to prevent Xu Ming from “dating” her.

She saw Zhuang Xiaochen speak with feelings so true and meaning so sincere, and feared the woman’s lingering feelings were not yet finished for Xu Ming.

Yuan Yue didn’t know the fishy details, nor did she want to. After hearing Zhuang Xiaochen’s confession today, she felt a sense of relief and, for a rare moment, gave the other woman a friendly smile. “You don’t need to apologize to me. On the contrary, I should thank you. It’s impossible for Xu Ming and me to contact each other again, so it’s impossible for me to hurt him. Please rest assured on that point.”

Seeing that she wasn’t holding a grudge and wasn’t pursuing the matter further, Zhuang Xiaochen smiled with pleasure. “Thank you.”

Yu Xi was still waiting for her in the car. Yuan Yue said goodbye to Zhuang Xiaochen, turned, and got back in the car.

Yu Xi looked as if she had just finished a call. When she saw Yuan Yue get in, she said with a grave expression, “The situation with Jie Ran has really blown up.”

Yuan Yue’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly asked, “What’s going on?”

Just as Yuan Yue was helping Zhuang Xiaochen into the residential complex, Yu Xi had finished two calls.

The first was from Jie Ran. Jie Ran told her it seemed someone was maliciously using her for publicity. Although the explosive Weibo post about her “coming out” was quickly deleted, it wasn’t long before someone with ill intentions dug up Jie Ran’s “love history,” exposing every woman she had ever been ambiguously involved with. In the end, the spear was pointed directly at Yu Xi, asserting that Yu Xi was Jie Ran’s “mysterious girlfriend.”

Related reports about Yu Xi and Jie Ran were now spreading like wildfire online. What was worse was that Yu Xi had been doxxed, which led to the secret photo incident this morning.

Right now, Jie Ran and her management agency were busy dealing with the online rumors. In order not to add to her troubles, Yu Xi temporarily refrained from telling her about being followed and photographed.

After hastily ending the call with Jie Ran, Yu Xi didn’t delay for a moment and immediately called the gym to ask for time off.

By the time both calls were finished, Yuan Yue was back in the car. With a grim face, Yu Xi told her everything that had happened, from beginning to end.

Yuan Yue was greatly startled and lost color⁵ after hearing the story. She hurriedly took out her phone to check Weibo, and sure enough, the number one trending topic today was still about Jie Ran. She casually clicked on a post, and when she saw the content and the accompanying pictures, she nearly exploded with anger.

“These people are going too far, they even doxxed you! I’m going to sue them!”

Yu Xi said calmly, “How are you going to sue? By the time you win the lawsuit, the daylily buds would all be cold⁶.”

Yuan Yue stared at her, dumbfounded, at a loss for words.

Yu Xi’s expression didn’t change as she added, “Neither of us has any experience with this kind of thing. The ones who are most anxious right now are Jie Ran and her agency. Let her handle it. All we need to do now is ensure our own safety.”

Yuan Yue instantly panicked, grabbing Yu Xi’s hand. “Then what do we do now?”

Seeing her terrified and helpless expression, Yu Xi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Who was it today that was shamelessly boasting about taking care of me? How come you fall apart at the first sign of trouble?”

Yuan Yue also realized she had been a bit impulsive. Yu Xi’s words made her face flush red, and she lowered her head, defending herself in a small voice, “This is a case of to care is to be chaotic.”⁷

Yu Xi did her the favor of not pressing the issue. She glanced at the camera on the dashboard and said, “Fortunately, those photos that were bad for you have been deleted. I don’t know if anyone is staking out our place right now. I think we shouldn’t go back for the time being.”

Remembering today’s incident, Yuan Yue’s heart had lingering fear. She gripped Yu Xi’s arm tightly and nodded repeatedly. “It’s definitely too dangerous to go back now.”

Yu Xi comforted her, “Don’t worry, I’ve already requested time off from the gym. We might have to stay in a hotel for the next few days.”

With their address suddenly exposed, there was nothing to do but hide. Yuan Yue gently rested her head on Yu Xi’s shoulder. As she was lamenting that the affairs of the world are not constant⁸, something suddenly occurred to her. She sat up straight and exclaimed, “Hotels aren’t safe either! Your photo is all over the internet now. What if someone recognizes you when we go to a hotel?”

Yuan Yue’s concern was not unfounded. Yu Xi pondered for a moment.

Before Yu Xi could come up with a good solution, Yuan Yue said impatiently, “Why don’t we go back to the county town? It’s a small place, no one will notice us there.”

Yu Xi looked at her quietly, once again lost in thought.

That afternoon, with Yuan Yue driving, she cajoled and persuaded the whole way, finally managing to bring a reluctant Yu Xi safely back to the county town.

When Jiang Yan heard they were coming back, she specially took a half-day off work to rush home. When she pushed open the door and saw two graceful figures on the sofa, holding each other tightly before hastily separating, she asked in surprise, “WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?”

Jiang Yan hadn’t given any warning before coming back. Yuan Yue was so scared her face turned white. She whipped her head around and stammered, “Y-y-you, WHY ARE YOU BACK SO SUDDENLY!”

Jiang Yan said as she changed her shoes, “This is my house. Do I need someone’s permission to come back to my own home?”

In that instant, Yuan Yue’s heart had leaped into her throat. Watching TV was too boring, and she had just wanted to kiss Yu Xi to lighten the mood. How could she have known that Jiang Yan would suddenly return?

To cover up her guilty conscience, Yuan Yue cried out, “MA, YOU CAN SCARE A PERSON TO DEATH, YOU KNOW THAT!”

After changing her shoes, Jiang Yan walked in. Seeing the expressions on her two daughters—one pale as a sheet, the other beaming—she grew even more suspicious. She stared at Yuan Yue’s flustered face and said, “What guilty thing did you do that made you so afraid of me scaring you?”

Yuan Yue was suddenly at a loss for words. Her back was stiff, and she didn’t dare move, so she could only subtly signal to Yu Xi for help.

Yu Xi received Yuan Yue’s distress signal. She stood up, composed and self-possessed, and said, “Ma, Yuan Yue didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who did something wrong.”

As soon as she said this, the other two people present were stunned.

Jiang Yan’s head snapped toward Yu Xi. She said worriedly, “Child, what did you do wrong? Hurry and tell Ma.”

Yuan Yue was just as curious, her eyes fixed on Yu Xi’s profile.

Yu Xi sighed for no apparent reason and said with a sorrowful expression, “Ma, you wouldn’t understand.”

Hearing the tone of her voice, Jiang Yan grew even more anxious. “How would I understand if you don’t tell me? Just say it!”

Yu Xi’s eyes darkened. Her voice was low as she slowly explained, “Ma, I’ve fallen in love with someone, but I can’t be with her in a bright and upright⁹ way. It’s breaking my heart.”

Yuan Yue’s heart tightened.

“Why can’t you be with him? Did you fall for someone you shouldn’t have?” Jiang Yan said urgently.

Yu Xi didn’t answer immediately. She glanced meaningfully at Yuan Yue, her lips slightly parted. She enunciated each word clearly, “No, it’s not that I shouldn’t love her. It’s because the person I like is a woman, just like me.”

Yuan Yue sucked in a breath of cold air¹⁰, feeling the world go dark before her eyes.

Why would Yu Xi say that? What was she trying to do? Why didn’t she discuss it with her before confessing?

A pile of questions suddenly erupted in Yuan Yue’s mind. Her gaze was scorching as she looked at Yu Xi, utterly bewildered and extremely anxious.

However, Yu Xi deliberately turned her head away. She took the hand of Jiang Yan, who still hadn’t fully processed the situation, and said softly, “Ma, do you also think I’ve done something wrong? Will you look down on me from now on?”

“I…” Jiang Yan stammered, suspecting she had misheard.

Yu Xi said she had fallen in love with a woman. It was too incredible. Jiang Yan felt she must be getting old and senile; it took her a long time to digest this piece of information. She finally found her voice, looked at Yu Xi’s exquisite face, and said hesitantly, “Child, you… how could you…”

Yu Xi was hurt by Jiang Yan’s reaction. Pained and helpless, she lowered her eyes. “You all really do look down on me. Since it’s like this, I’ll leave.”

Yu Xi slowly let go of Jiang Yan’s hand, but Jiang Yan grabbed it back. “No! Child, don’t cry. Ma didn’t mean that. How could Ma possibly look down on you!”

Yu Xi’s gaze flickered away as she tried to pry Jiang Yan’s hand off.

The more she acted this way, the more anxious Jiang Yan became. She held her hand tightly and said, “Don’t go. If you leave, Ma’s heart won’t be able to take it.”

Yu Xi frowned, looking at her uncertainly. “Are you willing to let me stay?”

Jiang Yan feigned displeasure and chided, “Silly child, what foolish things are you saying! This is your home too!”

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