That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 44

I Was the One Who Provoked Her First.

When Yu Xi vividly finished acting out this scene of wanting to leave yet still staying¹, Yuan Yue was still muddled and confused, unable to sort out her thoughts. She could no longer hold it in and cut in to separate the two of them. She abruptly turned, took a breath, and was just about to speak, but Yu Xi gave her a deep look. “Don’t you speak first.”

A breath was stuck in Yuan Yue’s chest; she felt her chest tighten and her breath shorten.²

Jiang Yan simply pushed Yuan Yue to one side, her eyes never leaving Yu Xi for a moment, and said with heartache, “Child, since you call me ‘Mom,’ how could I possibly dislike you and look down on you?”

Yu Xi was very moved. She took a deep breath and said frankly, “Mom, let me tell you the truth. Yueyue and I came back today to take refuge.”

“Take refuge?”

Yu Xi pondered, then truthfully told Jiang Yan about the gossip incident concerning her and Jie Ran that had been spreading like crazy online these past two days. After hearing it, Jiang Yan couldn’t come to her senses for a long time, and she murmured, “How can this world be like this…”

Yuan Yue couldn’t bear it any longer and blurted out, “Mom, I…”

“You don’t speak. Let me calm down first,” Jiang Yan heartlessly interrupted her.

Even the right to speak was stripped away. Yuan Yue was choked with anger. She flung her hands, ran inside, and plopped down on the sofa.

Seeing the situation, Yu Xi took the opportunity to say to Jiang Yan, “Mom, you must be tired. Please sit down for a bit.”

On the sofa, Yu Xi and Jiang Yan, their bond as close as mother and daughter, were looking at each other in a deeply moving way. Yuan Yue was like a superfluous person, sitting to the side with a face full of resentment, staring with dry eyes, unable to do a thing.³

Jiang Yan held Yu Xi’s hand and said cautiously, “Then you and that Jie what?” Her memory was bad, and she couldn’t think of the full name for a long time. “Are you and that female celebrity actually in a romantic relationship or not?”

Yu Xi shook her head and said with a serious face, “Mom, the news is fake. Jie Ran and I are just friends.”

Jiang Yan knitted her brows, as if lost in thought.

Yu Xi didn’t allow her time to think and softened her tone. “Mom, it’s not safe in the city right now, so I had no choice but to come back with Yueyue to hide for a while. You won’t drive me away, will you?”

Jiang Yan suddenly came to her senses. She gave her a light glare but couldn’t bear to scold her. “Silly child, how could I bear to drive you away? Just stay at home with a peaceful mind. Stay for as long as you want.”

Yu Xi forced out a small smile. “Thank you, Mom.”

Seeing that the matter had come to a temporary close, Yuan Yue spoke resentfully, “Can I speak now?”

Two pairs of eyes looked over at her in unison, as if they had only just noticed her.

Yuan Yue walked over with puffed cheeks, looked straight at Yu Xi, and said, “You two are done talking. Now I have something to say to you.”

Yu Xi knew she felt wronged. She first gave Jiang Yan a heads-up, then stood up to follow Yuan Yue further inside, but was suddenly pulled back by Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan looked at her with a curious expression and said, “Oh right, you still haven’t told me who that girl you like is.”

Yu Xi’s eyebrows unconsciously raised. She turned around, peaceful and self-possessed⁴, and said with a faint smile, “Mom, I’m really sorry. To protect her, I can’t tell you for the time being.”

Jiang Yan was puzzled. “I won’t scold her or hit her, and I certainly won’t go talk to her and tell her to leave you. What is there that can’t be said?”

Yu Xi’s features relaxed. Instead of answering, she asked back, “Are you sure?”

Jiang Yan was made even more dizzy by her answer that was not what was asked. She followed her line of questioning and replied, “Of course I’m sure! Since you’ve already said you can’t like men, what else can be done? Actually, I’m quite curious what that girl you like looks like, so I just asked.”

Yu Xi was delighted but didn’t dare to show it too obviously. She held Jiang Yan’s hand and said expectantly, “Mom, if your daughter brings her beloved home one day, will you acknowledge and bless them?”

“This…” Perhaps the question was too abrupt. Jiang Yan’s gaze wandered, and for a moment she didn’t know how to answer.

Yu Xi sighed almost inaudibly.

Jiang Yan couldn’t bear to see her disappointment. She immediately changed her expression and hurriedly comforted her, “If one day you’ve thought it through and bring her home, Mom will definitely support you and bless you.”

Yu Xi looked at her without blinking and said solemnly, “Mom, I’ve remembered everything you said today. You’re not allowed to go back on your word in the future.”

…

In the room, Yuan Yue cautiously locked the door from the inside, turned around, and could no longer hold back, fiercely hugging Yu Xi. Before Yu Xi could react, she held her head and fiercely kissed her red lips.

Yu Xi’s mouth was blocked by her; it took a great deal of effort to push her away. Her gums throbbed where they had been knocked. Yu Xi held her by both shoulders and warned in a low voice, “Mom is still outside and you dare to mess around. You’ve got some nerve.”

Yuan Yue’s breathing was tight and rapid. She argued in a small voice, “If I don’t kiss you, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from screaming.”

Yu Xi was helpless. She dragged her to the bedside, and even with this much distance between them, she still had to lower her voice. “I don’t want to hide it anymore, so I confessed to Mom without discussing it with you. You won’t blame me, right?”

Throughout the whole process, Yu Xi hadn’t implicated Yuan Yue. Right now, Jiang Yan still didn’t know about the two of them, so even if Yuan Yue wanted to blame her, she couldn’t find a reason. She was slow to know and slow to realize⁵ Yu Xi’s intentions. It’s just that she had been carrying her heart and hanging her gallbladder⁶ the whole time just now. If it weren’t for hearing Jiang Yan’s guarantee at the end, Yuan Yue really would have been scared into fainting.

Seeing her press her lips together without speaking, Yu Xi said again, “Sooner or later they will all know. It’s better to take this opportunity to reveal it little by little.”

When she was at the hospital, Yuan Yue had actually thought about this. She really didn’t want to keep living her days hiding and covering things up, but she didn’t know how to tell her family. Although Yu Xi’s method was a bit rash, judging from Jiang Yan’s attitude just now, it seemed the results were not bad.

Yuan Yue was pleased with herself, and suddenly the direction of her words took a sharp turn⁷. “Darling, it’s really a pity you’re not in the entertainment circle.”

Yu Xi was just thinking about a strategy and was baffled by her sentence that came without a head or a brain⁸. “What do you mean?”

Yuan Yue turned her face to examine it carefully and said admiringly, “You look so beautiful, have such a good figure, and your acting is first-class. It’s truly a waste not to be a star.”

Yu Xi heard the teasing flavor in her words, knocked her hand away, and said irritably, “We’re talking about serious business, don’t interrupt.”

Yuan Yue composed her expression. “Go on, what do you want me to do next?”

This wasn’t her own home, after all, and she did need Yuan Yue’s cooperation. Yu Xi thought for a moment and said, “You don’t have to do anything. You just need to control yourself.”

“Oh.”

Since Yu Xi told her to manage herself well, Yuan Yue had no choice but to be content with her station and behave herself.⁹

During dinner that evening, Jiang Yan did not tell Yuan Weiwen¹⁰ about Yu Xi liking women. After finishing the meal, she pulled Yu Xi over and said mysteriously, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your situation.”

But Yu Xi became worried. She was hoping that everyone in Yuan Yue’s family would know about this. With Jiang Yan “kindly” helping her hide it, wouldn’t she still have to be the one to break the news to them one by one when the time comes?

Yuan Yue saw her worried brows wouldn’t unfurl¹¹ and that she refused to sleep, so she hugged her and comforted her, “Stop thinking about it. Getting my mom on board is the same as getting everything on board. Let’s sleep for now.”

Yu Xi had no choice but to lie down, but she pushed away the clinging Yuan Yue. Yuan Yue was dissatisfied. She deliberately put on a cold face and said, “You promised me you would control yourself. For the next few days, just hold it in.”

Yuan Yue was sulking. She turned her back and went to sleep by herself.

Fortunately, this storm with Jie Ran didn’t last too long. They had stayed in the county town¹² for less than five days when Jie Ran called and said, with simple words and comprehensive meaning, “It’s fine now.”

Yu Xi replied to her, neither salty nor bland¹³, “It’s good that it’s fine now.”

The affair that had left them with scorched heads and rotten brows¹⁴ was finally settled. Jie Ran had time to chat with her. “Since it’s fine now, you pair of ‘eloping’ ill-fated lovers can come back, right?”

Yu Xi had previously told Jie Ran about how she and Yuan Yue had no choice but to hide back in the county town. She didn’t expect that it would now be used by Jie Ran to make a joke. She said irritably, “We’re not going back. It’s pretty good staying here too.”

Jie Ran didn’t know if she was being serious or not. She sighed helplessly and said, “Come back. I miss you guys.”

The next afternoon, after saying goodbye to Jiang Yan, Yuan Yue and Yu Xi prepared to drive back to the city, but unexpectedly saw someone when they went downstairs to get the car.

That person spotted them first and said in surprise, “Miss Yuan? Miss Yu?”

Yuan Yue abruptly turned her head and saw Xu Ming walking out from another building. She was startled for a moment, and the next second she remembered Yuan Xi had said before that Xu Ming’s family lived across from theirs.

After all, they had only met once. Yuan Yue greeted him very politely, “Hi!”

“When did you guys get back?” Xu Ming walked straight towards them.

Yuan Yue said without thinking, “Last Wednesday.”

Xu Ming was taken aback. “So you’ve been back for so many days. I had no idea.”

They weren’t close and had no contact, so it was normal that he didn’t know. Yuan Yue said awkwardly, “We’re preparing to go back.”

Xu Ming was very surprised. “Leaving so soon?”

Yuan Yue just smiled.

Xu Ming probably also felt his reaction was a bit strong. The other party was being cold and distant; he had actually guessed some of the reasons. He thought for a moment and said, “That day, I didn’t mean to intentionally release your pigeon, I…”

As soon as he said this, Yuan Yue knew what was coming next. She hurriedly cut him off. “You don’t need to explain. I didn’t take that day’s matter to heart at all. Oh right, we saw Zhuang Xiaochen a few days ago. Her leg seems to be injured quite seriously.”

Yuan Yue intentionally mentioned Zhuang Xiaochen; the purpose was to make Xu Ming retreat in the face of difficulty¹⁵. Xu Ming looked embarrassed. After a moment of thought, he said, “She and I were university classmates…”

“You’ve already said that. I also know you used to be a couple.” Yuan Yue interrupted him once again.

Xu Ming looked at her with astonishment. But he quickly figured that with Zhuang Xiaochen’s personality, she must have explained everything from the past clearly. It wasn’t any secret anyway. Xu Ming said with a bitter smile, “That’s all in the past.”

Yuan Yue would neither confirm nor deny it.

“Get in the car,” Yu Xi, who had been waiting at the side all along, reminded her.

Yuan Yue had promised Zhuang Xiaochen not to contact Xu Ming anymore, so she also hoped to leave as soon as possible. She was just preparing to say goodbye to Xu Ming, but he said, “You’re going back to the city. Could you help me bring something along the way?”

They had agreed not to be in contact. What was she to do?

Yuan Yue was conflicted and didn’t say anything for a moment.

“What is it?” It was Yu Xi who picked up the conversation for her.

Xu Ming said, “Some documents. My younger brother is in the city. Since you’re going back, I thought since it’s on the way, could you help me take them? I remember you opened a hotpot restaurant, right? When the time comes, you can just leave the documents at the restaurant, and I’ll have him go over and get them.”

Seeing that he had arranged everything so well, refusing again would make Yuan Yue seem petty. This time, without waiting for Yu Xi’s help, Yuan Yue said, “Alright, I’ll help you.”

A look of joy appeared on Xu Ming’s face. He hurriedly ran to his car to get a file folder and handed it to her, instructing, “My younger brother is named Xu Kai. When the time comes, I’ll have him go directly to the restaurant to find you.”

“Xu Kai!”

“Xu Kai?”

Yuan Yue and Yu Xi spoke in unison and exchanged a look of tacit understanding.

“Is there a problem?” Xu Ming didn’t understand why the two of them were so full of starts and jumps.¹⁶

“No problem,” Yuan Yue said with a blank expression.

They went back that same day. Yuan Yue rested up and only went to the restaurant the next day. As soon as she entered the door, she saw a familiar figure. Her heart gave a gedeng sound, and she turned her head to leave.

“Yuan Yue, you stop right there for me!”

Yuan Yue froze, turned around with extreme reluctance, and said helplessly, “Wenya, didn’t I say there was no need for us to meet?”

Sun Wenya didn’t answer. She walked towards her with a dark face and an unfriendly tone. “Rest assured, I won’t pester you anymore.”

Yuan Yue let out a long sigh of relief and stood her ground.

Seeing her perfunctory attitude, Sun Wenya’s face became even uglier. She said coldly, “I came to get the documents.”

“Documents? What documents?” Yuan Yue didn’t react for a moment.

Sun Wenya’s expression was very thought-provoking. She hesitated for a long time before she finally said, “Didn’t Xu Kai’s older brother give you a set of documents?”

Only after her reminder did Yuan Yue suddenly remember. She suddenly understood something but didn’t dare to be completely certain, and said suspiciously, “Xu Ming and Xu Kai are really brothers?”

The expression on Sun Wenya’s face changed again, and she said in a low voice, “En.”

Previously, when she heard Xu Ming say Xu Kai’s name, Yuan Yue already had her suspicions. But she also felt it was impossible for everything to be so coincidental; after all, the world is vast, and people with the same name are innumerable. Today, hearing Sun Wenya admit it herself, Yuan Yue couldn’t help but lament that life is really dog’s blood¹⁷; everywhere she goes, there are acquaintances.

Yuan Yue couldn’t help but let out a light laugh and said in an understated way, “You sit first. I put the documents inside. I’ll go get them for you now.”

This time, Sun Wenya was very well-behaved. She didn’t cry, make a fuss, or pester; she found a place to sit down by herself.

Yuan Yue walked inside with light steps and ran head-on into Yuan Xi. She greeted him naturally, “Morning, Ge!¹⁸“

Yuan Xi’s tone was indifferent. “It’s high noon. What kind of morning is it.”

Yuan Yue didn’t bicker with him and went to get the file folder she had previously placed in the cabinet. She turned and was about to leave, but Yuan Xi blocked her path and pulled her to the side.

Yuan Xi opened the door to see the mountain¹⁹, saying, “I’ve heard about Yu Xi’s situation. Does she really like women?”

Yuan Yue didn’t expect him to suddenly bring this up. Instead of answering, she asked back, “How did you know?”

“The affair between Yu Xi and that female celebrity was bubbling and spreading²⁰ all over the internet. A few days ago, everyone on Moments was forwarding it. It’d be hard not to know!”

Since Yuan Xi already knew, there was nothing left to hide.

Yuan Yue had already discussed a strategy with Yu Xi beforehand. It would be made public sooner or later anyway, and there was nothing to have a guilty conscience about. She said bluntly, “That’s right, Yu Xi likes women. So what?”

Yuan Xi’s curiosity was instantly hooked. He pressed, “Then is she really with that female celebrity…”

“That’s pure nonsense! Yu Xi has had a beloved in her heart for a long time,” Yuan Yue interrupted him, dissatisfied.

“Who is it?”

Yuan Yue raised her eyebrows and said very proudly, “Me!”

Yuan Xi’s eyes widened. He looked at her as if he had seen a ghost. “Are you sick in the head!”

Yuan Yue didn’t bother arguing with him. She gestured for him to come closer and said in a small voice, “I’m really not lying to you. And I have to tell you, I was the one who slept with Yu Xi first. I was the one who provoked her first.”

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