CH 106

Villainous Stand-in (4)

Li Yuqing’s polite words about designing clothes for her didn’t resonate with Song Xu Yi. While others might have viewed Li Yuqing as merely a beautiful ornament nurtured by the Song family, Song Xu Yi saw beyond her appearance. She understood the fierce determination that lay beneath her surface, recognizing that even a seemingly delicate vase could topple an entire group.

As the wind picked up outside, scattered raindrops and distant thunder heralded an impending downpour. The organizers quickly rushed to find umbrellas.

Once Song father’s car arrived, Song Xu Yi wasted no time exchanging pleasantries with Li Yuqing. Instead, he headed straight for the car. As they drove off, Song Xu Yi glanced back at Li Yuqing. She stood in the rain, staring up at the lightning in the sky, lost in thought. The streetlights illuminated her perfectly curved profile and slender neck, turning her into a living masterpiece.

“Throughout history, beautiful women have often suffered tragic fates…” Song Xu Yi let out a heavy sigh, unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer.

The system’s response was sharp, as if it had been startled. “Are you sympathizing with her? Xu Yi, remember, she’s the villain!”

Song Xu Yi realized that the system held an unexplainable bias against Li Yuqing. Despite this, she understood the system’s position and decided to avoid discussing Li Yuqing in the future. Instead, she shifted the topic to her own manga, leaving the previous conversation behind.

The rain ceased shortly after Song Xu Yi arrived home. She spent some time drawing manga before feeling too exhausted from a night of socializing and drifting off to sleep. To her surprise, she dreamt of Li Yuqing once more.

In this dream, Li Yuqing appeared older, perhaps six or seven years of age. The setting was a rainy night, with bright lights illuminating the house. The young girl lay shivering in her bed, her eyes closed.

At first, Song Xu Yi believed it to be a dream and attempted to wake up. However, for reasons unknown to her, she couldn’t. Suddenly, the girl in the bed let out a piercing scream…

Feeling sorry for the frightened child, Song Xu Yi couldn’t bear to watch her suffer any longer. Despite Li Yuqing’s real-life villainous persona, Song Xu Yi approached the bed to offer comfort to the little girl.

In an attempt to soften her voice, Song Xu Yi asked gently, “Do you remember me?”

The little girl clutched her quilt tightly, her long eyelashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes and gazed silently at Song Xu Yi.

“It’s you!” The child’s memory was jogged, and she tugged at Song Xu Yi’s clothes from under the covers. “Why did you come back?”

Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes, and her voice was sweet and tender with a slight nasal quality, melting Song Xu Yi’s heart.

“I came because I know you’re scared, and God sent me to help you,” Song Xu Yi fibbed, soothing the frightened child with her words.

The child didn’t seem to doubt Song Xu Yi’s words. She rubbed her eyes sheepishly and confessed, “I’m so scared of this stormy night. The maid has gone home, my sister is at school, my parents are at work, and I don’t want to disturb my grandpa. But I can’t sleep alone…”

With a gentle tone, Song Xu Yi replied, “Hmm,” and couldn’t resist running her fingers through the little girl’s silky hair. “Then I’ll stay here with you.”

The child nodded gratefully and shut her eyes.

Meanwhile, the lightning and thunder outside raged on. Each time a deafening roar rattled the windows, the child would peek at Song Xu Yi—

Initially, Song Xu Yi pretended not to notice, but gradually she became more playful. The next time the child snuck a glance, she turned her head and locked eyes with the little one.

They stared at each other, the little girl’s cheeks flushing with a sudden shyness. She covered her chin with the blanket and closed her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Time passed slowly, and the little girl’s breathing gradually became calm as she drifted off to sleep.

Song Xu Yi let out a sigh of relief, thinking that the girl would soon forget her dream. But just then, a loud crackling sound echoed through the room, and the lights flickered before plunging the room into darkness.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the window, casting an eerie glow over the little girl’s frightened face.

Song Xu Yi furrowed her brow as she prepared to investigate the circuit breaker, but before she could even stand up, a warm body squirmed into her arms.

The little girl clung to Song Xu’s waist, trembling with fear. “Sister, don’t leave. I’m scared!”

Song Xu Yi sighed, resigned to staying by the bedside to comfort the frightened child. No matter how she reassured her, the little girl refused to let her check the circuit. Song Xu Yi hadn’t expected the child to be so clingy, but she had no choice but to comply with her wishes. She closed the curtains tightly and settled in to spend the night with the child, telling her stories to distract her from the storm.

“Thunder and lightning aren’t something to be afraid of,” Song Xu listened to the rain outside and observed the occasional flashes of lightning. Suddenly, a memory flooded back to her–a memory from her own childhood, on a stormy day much like this one.

Her grandmother, still lucid before developing Alzheimer’s disease, had lovingly caressed Song Xu Yi’s hair and reassured her, “Xu Yi, don’t be afraid of the storm. Lightning and thunder are really just your mom and dad in heaven missing you. They want to come down to the mortal world to see you, but it’s too dark up there, and they can’t see you clearly. So they create flashes of light with lightning to see you better, and use the sound of thunder to tell you, ‘We’re doing well, and you must also do well in the future.'”

“I understand,”

As Song Xu Yi realized what had happened, she found that she had already narrated the story to the little girl. The little girl’s soft voice echoed in her ears, and her warm hands held Song Xu’s face. “Sister, don’t cry. I don’t have any relatives in heaven, so this rain must be your loved ones missing you. Sister is a fairy, and a fairy’s relatives are also good people. I’m not afraid…”

Did she cry?

Song Xu Yi felt embarrassed that the little girl had noticed her tears. She remembered the tragedies that befell Li Yuqing’s family – the loss of her parents and sister in a terrible accident, followed by her grandfather’s passing. She heaved a sigh and hugged Li Yuqing tightly, drawing comfort from the warmth of her embrace.

When Song Xu Yi opened her eyes again, rain was once again hitting the window with a “pattering” sound. The temperature had dropped, and the room was chilly, so she got up to close the window. Her mind wandered to the dream she had just had, and she couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the old house. What was happening to Li Yuqing on this stormy night?

At almost the same moment, Li Yuqing in the old house also opened her eyes to the sound of “bang bang” coming from downstairs. She frowned, retrieved some medicine from a drawer, and made her way downstairs as if it were a routine occurrence.

At that moment, Song Shi, who was typically elegant and refined, resembled a violent beast. He held a shattered vase in his hand, glaring at the servants who looked at him with fear. He hysterically shouted, “You are all murderers! Terrible executioners…”

The servants looked at each other, afraid to approach him, except for a young nurse who dared not come closer. The woman could do nothing but hold onto his arm and cry, unable to control the crazed Song Shi.

Upon seeing the scene, the servants rushed up to Li Yuqing like a lifesaving straw, “Miss Li, Master…” Li Yuqing nodded to indicate that she already knew what had happened and took two steps forward with the medicine in her hand.

Song Shi’s furious actions had caused the vase to scrape across Li Yuqing’s arm, leaving a distinct mark of blood. Despite the injury, Li Yuqing remained determined and slowly walked towards Song Shi, speaking softly: “Brother Song Shi, I am Yuyun. I have never blamed you.”

Upon hearing his sister’s name, Song Shi’s body trembled violently, and his lifeless gaze gradually regained some vitality. He started to relax his tense body.

“Yuyun?” Song Shi repeated in disbelief. Recognizing his sister, he choked up and covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry!” he said, regretful for his actions.

Li Yuqing handed the medicine to the girl next to Song Shi, and the servants deftly bandaged the wound on Li Yuqing’s arm. The girl quickly fed the medicine to Song Shi, and his ferocious face gradually subsided, his heavy breathing calming down.

The servants let out a collective sigh of relief as they hastily cleaned up the debris. Li Yuqing stood silently behind Song Shi, watching as the young nurse girl gently wiped his face. Despite her efforts to conceal it, the girl’s eyes still revealed unmistakable love for Song Shi…

“Yuqing, you should move out,” Song Shi said softly, after a long silence.

He didn’t look at Li Yuqing, but instead glanced at the nurse girl beside him, then turned his head to look out the window at the lightning and thunder. It was as if he had finally made up his mind, “This stormy night is my trauma, and it is also your trauma. We should both try to let go of the past and strive to live on.”

Song Shi rose to his feet, trembling as if he feared he might regret his decision later. Without hesitation, he immediately dialed a number on his phone to contact his house.

Li Yuqing watched Song Shi’s back as he made the call, a flicker of ridicule dancing across her eyes. However, she refrained from saying anything, instead recalling the conversation she had with Song Shi at the dinner party.

“Brother Song Shi, are you not curious about my cute friend that I’ve been telling you about?” she had asked. “She’s your cousin Xu Yi.”

“I would love to visit Xu Yi’s neighborhood sometime,” Song Shi had replied. “I hear she lives in the former faculty dormitory. The environment is supposed to be particularly good, and the people in the neighborhood are friendly.”

As Li Yuqing watched Song Shi make arrangements on the phone, she couldn’t help but smile. He had given her a satisfactory solution.

Meanwhile, back at home, Song Xu Yi had a restless night.

Despite being in her own room, surrounded by familiar belongings, she felt a sense of unease. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

The next day, she went to her elective course and was surprised to see Li Yuqing there as well. Despite rarely appearing at school, Li Yuqing seemed to draw a lot of attention when she did. To Song Xu Yi’s surprise, Li Yuqing sat next to her and even borrowed her notes.

Though Song Xu Yi was always serious in class, the voice of a system in her head kept distracting her. “Xu Yi, she’s peeking at you!” “Xu Yi, she’s looking at you with a sinister smile, she must have bad intentions…”

Song Xu Yi was irritated and decided to block the system. After class, she finally turned her head to look at Li Yuqing, blushing at the sight of the smile on her face. “Xu Yi,” Li Yuqing said, her smile deepening as she returned Xu Yi’s notes. “I missed a lot of classes and haven’t finished copying the notes yet. If there’s a chance, I’d like to borrow your notes to take a look.”

Although Song Xu Yi initially intended to lend her the notes, she hesitated, considering Li Yuqing’s notorious reputation. She nodded, thinking that the “opportunity” Li Yuqing mentioned would probably be months away.

Unexpectedly, this opportunity came sooner than expected. When Song Xu Yi returned home, she noticed a moving company next door. She lived in a two-unit layout, and when she moved in, she learned that the family opposite had gone abroad, leaving the house empty all year round. So, it was only her family that lived on this floor.

Song Xu Yi wondered whether the neighbors had rented out the house.

Song Xu Yi paid little attention to the noise from the moving company next door, lost in her own world with headphones on. The hours drifted by, and when she finally emerged from her creative trance, the sky outside had already darkened.

Deciding to heat up some instant noodles for a quick meal before returning to her artwork, Song Xu Yi was suddenly hit by the irresistible scent of stir-frying coming from the neighboring unit. The aroma filled her nostrils, making her stomach grumble and her noodles seem unappetizing in comparison.

After forcing down a few bites of her lackluster noodles, Song Xu Yi gave in to her craving and opened up a delivery app to order some crayfish. To her surprise, a knock at the door sounded not long after.

Had the food arrived that quickly?

Opening the door, Song Xu Yi found herself staring at a table filled with delicious-looking dishes, set up in the neighboring unit. Li Yuqing stood before her, dressed in comfortable home clothes, a gentle and kindly smile gracing her face. “Xu Yi, would you mind joining me for a meal?”