That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 50

I Was Born to Be a Rogue!¹

Xu Ming stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around, his gaze profound.

Zhuang Xiaochen’s face was contorted in pain. Terrified that Xu Ming would just walk away, she panicked and threw caution to the wind. Her knees buckled, and she was about to collapse when Yuan Yue managed to catch her.

Yuan Yue supported her carefully. Seeing the agony on her face, she couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Are you okay?”

Zhuang Xiaochen looked at her with tear-filled eyes and said with difficulty, “Miss Yuan, please let me go.”

Yuan Yue ignored her, certain that Zhuang Xiaochen would fall the moment she let go. Overwhelmed, she had no choice but to call for help. “Can someone come and help me?”

The turn of events had been too sudden. Yuan Xi only reacted when he heard Yuan Yue’s call. He turned to Xu Ming, who stood motionless behind him. “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and go check on her.”

Xu Ming just stared at him, his eyes sharp behind his glasses, as if annoyed by his meddling.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Yuan Xi simply grabbed him and pushed him forward.

Yuan Yue felt like she had just grasped a life-saving straw. “Xu Ming, hurry, help me,” she said urgently.

The moment Xu Ming heard her request, he could no longer remain calm. After a slight hesitation, he went over and helped Yuan Yue guide Zhuang Xiaochen to a seat.

Yuan Yue let out a sigh of relief. As she let go of Zhuang Xiaochen, however, she noticed that the woman was gripping Xu Ming’s hand tightly.

Although Yuan Yue wasn’t sure what misunderstanding existed between the two, the atmosphere was too strange. She broke the silence at the most inopportune time. “Miss Zhuang, is your foot okay?”

Zhuang Xiaochen acted as if she hadn’t heard, her eyes fixed on Xu Ming with a hint of resentment. “Do you really hate me that much?”

After being ignored, Yuan Yue tactfully moved to the side.

With Zhuang Xiaochen holding him, Xu Ming couldn’t leave even if he wanted to. He lowered his eyes and inadvertently saw her swollen ankle. His brow furrowed. “Do you not feel pain?”

A single tear had fallen from Zhuang Xiaochen’s eye earlier, and her eyes were still red-rimmed. She looked at him pitifully, answering his question with one of her own. “Do you care?”

Xu Ming’s expression turned cold. He violently flung her hand away and shot her a sideways glance. “We’re nothing to each other now. Why should I care?”

The force he used was immense. Caught off guard, Zhuang Xiaochen lost her balance and pitched forward onto the tabletop.

Watching from the side, Yuan Yue couldn’t help but cry out in alarm and instinctively rushed over to help Zhuang Xiaochen up. Though it was none of her business, an inexplicable anger flared up inside her. She threw caution to the wind, spun around, and yelled at Xu Ming, “How can you be like this? Don’t you have any sympathy?”

Xu Ming was completely unfazed by her accusation. “Someone like her isn’t worthy of sympathy,” he said coolly. “She’s reaping what she sowed.”

His words left Yuan Yue utterly shocked.

Although she hadn’t known Xu Ming for long, her impression of him had always been that of a refined and well-mannered man. She couldn’t imagine how he could say such cruel things to an injured woman.

Seeing the sudden coldness on Xu Ming’s face, Yuan Yue found herself at a loss for words.

“Heh,” Zhuang Xiaochen let out a faint, cold scoff. Her face was a picture of misery as she said self-deprecatingly, “He’s right. I deserve this.”

Xu Ming didn’t respond. He turned and left decisively, refusing to be stopped no matter how Yuan Xi and Xu Kai tried to pull him back.

This time, Zhuang Xiaochen didn’t try to stop him either. Her eyes were vacant, as if she had lost her soul.

As an outsider, Yuan Yue naturally couldn’t say much. She watched helplessly as Xu Ming walked away. Seeing Zhuang Xiaochen’s expression, her heart like dead ashes,² she actually felt a pang of sympathy for this woman she had never liked.

Yuan Yue couldn’t bring herself to be as heartless as Xu Ming. She crouched down and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Zhuang Xiaochen briskly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and stubbornly lifted her head to look at her. “I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Miss Yuan.”

Yuan Yue knew she must be heartbroken, but she couldn’t bring herself to say any words of comfort.

Zhuang Xiaochen also knew she had lost her composure. She quickly reined in her chaotic emotions and managed to force a smile. “I have to go. I’ll come find you guys another day.”

Xu Ming’s appearance had thrown everything into disarray. Zhuang Xiaochen had even forgotten why she had come in the first place. Having lost all face, she gripped the edge of the table to stand up.

Yuan Yue’s reflexes were quick, and she steadied her.

But Zhuang Xiaochen deliberately pushed her hand away, saying distantly, “I’m really fine. There’s no need to be so nervous, Miss Yuan.”

Her leg wasn’t healed, and it had just been hit by a chair hard enough to bring tears to her eyes; of course she wasn’t fine. Seeing her grit her teeth and put on a brave front, Yuan Yue’s sympathy flared up again. She refused to let go. “Where are you going?”

Zhuang Xiaochen knew that Yuan Yue’s momentary kindness was just pity. Since she couldn’t win the argument, she had no choice but to let the other woman support her. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Miss Yuan, could you help me walk outside?”

“Okay.”

Zhuang Xiaochen moved with extreme slowness. Yuan Xi and Xu Kai, having come to their senses, offered to help, but she refused. “One person is enough. I won’t trouble you two.”

The two men didn’t want to just look on with folded arms, but since Zhuang Xiaochen wouldn’t accept their help, they could only step aside awkwardly.

Yuan Yue helped her outside. Seeing the pained, restrained look on her face, she paused for a moment and asked with concern, “Do you need to go to the hospital? I can take you.”

Zhuang Xiaochen straightened her body as much as she could. She subtly removed Yuan Yue’s hand and gave her a small smile. “I definitely need to go to the hospital, but I won’t trouble Miss Yuan to take me.”

“Then you…”

“I’m fine,” Zhuang Xiaochen cut her off quickly. She glanced around, and seeing no one else, her expression grew serious. Her tone suddenly shifted. “Miss Yuan, how about I tell you a story?”

Yuan Yue was taken aback. This woman has some nerve, she thought. She’s in so much pain and still has the mind to tell stories.

Before Yuan Yue could respond, Zhuang Xiaochen turned slightly and gazed at a point in the sky, as if gathering her emotions.

After a long moment, she began to speak, as if to herself. “Once upon a time, there was a couple. They were truly in love and lived a simple but happy life. But then, the woman changed. She was so vain that she willingly let herself be kept by³ a rich playboy. The man came to hate her for it. She betrayed her lover, and in the end, she lost everything.”

Yuan Yue was completely bewildered as she listened. Although the short story didn’t mention the names of the man and woman, she had a vague idea of what it was about. She felt a brief, fleeting sense of shock.

Zhuang Xiaochen looked very calm now, as if the story had nothing to do with her.

Yuan Yue looked at her profile and asked hesitantly, “Why are you telling me this?”

Zhuang Xiaochen slowly shifted her gaze to Yuan Yue. She gave a sudden, bleak smile but deftly changed the subject. “Miss Yuan, you’re a very kind person. Kind people are rewarded. Trust me, you and Miss Yu will be very happy.”

…

Yu Xi still hadn’t replied to her WeChat message, so Yuan Yue had no choice but to go find her at the gym. When she arrived, she was told that Yu Xi was incredibly busy. Since she had nothing else to do anyway, she decided to wait for her there.

Yuan Yue waited and waited, finally seeing Yu Xi when it was time to get off work.

Despite a busy day, Yu Xi was still full of energy, but Yuan Yue’s heart ached for her as she helped her wipe away her sweat.

Yuan Yue drove on the way back, and the ride was very quiet.

Noticing her unusual mood, Yu Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Unhappy? Why are you so quiet today?”

Yuan Yue didn’t know what was wrong with her either. Her mind was completely occupied by what had happened at the shop. Thinking of Xu Ming’s cruelty and Zhuang Xiaochen’s despair, she sighed endlessly and murmured, “Tell me, why do some people who were once lovers end up turning against each other and becoming enemies?”

Yu Xi was startled and subconsciously asked, “Are you talking about you and Sun Wenya?”

“No,” Yuan Yue denied it immediately, her eyes filled with confusion. “I’m talking about Zhuang Xiaochen and Xu Ming.”

Yu Xi frowned. “Why the sudden thought about them?”

While waiting at a red light, Yuan Yue told Yu Xi what had happened at the shop earlier that day.

Yu Xi fell silent after hearing the story. After a long while, she finally offered her opinion. “Everyone has their own joys and sorrows. That’s their story, after all. You shouldn’t dwell on it.”

Yuan Yue couldn’t help but sigh. “Why does there have to be betrayal between people?”

Yu Xi didn’t know if she was thinking about Sun Wenya again. She hesitated, as if wanting to speak but stopping short. In the end, she simply reached out and placed a hand gently on Yuan Yue’s leg. “Don’t be afraid. You still have me.”

Yuan Yue turned her head to look at her. If she weren’t driving, she would have lunged over and given her a passionate kiss.

As night fell, Yuan Yue and Yu Xi lay in bed, enjoying a moment of peace.

But it only lasted a moment before Yuan Yue couldn’t hold back anymore. She lay on top of Yu Xi’s firm stomach, studying her captivating vest line.⁴ Her fingers danced across it like she was playing a piano as she asked casually, “Are you tired today?”

“A little,” Yu Xi said, lying flat and letting her do as she pleased. Something suddenly occurred to her. “I have to go to Chen Yuan’s place tomorrow to work on her plan. You might not see me during the day.”

Chen Yuan was that celebrity friend of Jie Ran’s. The director of her new movie had demanded she lose weight, so Jie Ran had recommended Yu Xi to her.

Yuan Yue’s fingers paused. She shot her head up to look at her. “I hear Chen Yuan is a great beauty. You’re not allowed to stare at her.”

Yu Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this warning. “Well, I can’t look at her while I’m fighting chicken eyes,⁵ can I? That would be so rude, and I can’t even do it.”

Yuan Yue pretended to pinch her waist, but her hand just slipped off the firm muscle. She gave up and said with a serious face, “No matter what, you’re not allowed to look too much!”

Yu Xi used a finger to lift her chin and said teasingly, “Do you think every woman around Jie Ran is a lesbian?”

Yuan Yue was suddenly stumped by her question, her mouth hanging slightly open.

Yu Xi’s thumb gently caressed her lower lip as she said to herself, “Don’t worry, Chen Yuan likes men. And while I like women, I don’t like women who are too beautiful.”

Her neck was getting a little sore. Yuan Yue slapped her hand away and scoffed at her words. “Liar. You used to like Jie Ran.”

Seeing her bring up the past again, Yu Xi sighed helplessly. “Alright, my bad. I guess I was blind back then.”

Yuan Yue climbed on top of her, their faces inches apart. She squished Yu Xi’s cheeks, and when that wasn’t enough, she pushed her eyes until they were cross-eyed. “I think there’s something wrong with your eyes now, too,” she giggled.

Yu Xi took the opportunity to pin her down, a smirk playing on her lips. “You’re right. If I weren’t blind, how could I have given up a great beauty like Jie Ran for you?”

“You bastard, you dare call me ugly!”

A burst of energy surged through Yuan Yue. She flipped them over, pinning Yu Xi down again, and buried her head in the delicate skin of her neck, giving her a bite.

“Are you part dog?” Yu Xi hissed, trying to block her mouth with her hand.

But Yuan Yue wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. She propped herself up, pinning Yu Xi’s arms and legs, and raised an eyebrow with a wicked grin. “You’re wrong. I was born to be a rogue!”

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