CH 112

Villainous Stand-in (10)

Li Yuqing moved into the Song family’s residence in the following manner.

Unlike the wealth and opulence of the Li family, Grandfather Song favored luxury and extravagance, and his villa was grandly built with a total of four floors.

As Li Yuqing entered the Song family’s house, she encountered a Taoist dressed in a costume waving a peach wood sword around, feigning mysticism. The Taoist noticed Li Yuqing and circled around her a few times before whispering something in Grandfather Song’s ear.

The Taoist spoke rapidly, and Song Xu Yi caught only a few sentences, such as “This girl’s blessings will be long-lasting” and “Given time, she will soar to great heights”…

These Taoists were constantly observing people’s words and actions. Being a wealthy person himself, Grandfather Song naturally spoke in a way that pleased them. However, Song Xu Yi felt that the Taoist got one thing right: Li Yuqing did indeed become wealthy and powerful afterwards. However, her wealth and power had nothing to do with the Song family. Instead, it became a sharp knife hanging over the Song family’s head, waiting for the right opportunity to strike ruthlessly into their chests.

Upon hearing the Taoist’s words, Grandfather Song looked at Li Yuqing with a slightly kinder expression in his eyes.

In the many rooms of the Song family’s residence, Grandfather Song arranged for Li Yuqing to stay on the second floor. All the rooms on that floor were empty, except for a particular room at the end of the corridor where doctors frequently came and went.

As Song Xu Yi listened to the screams emanating from that room, she understood that it was likely where Song Shi resided.

Song Xu Yi’s intuition proved correct. Shortly after, as described in the plot summary, Grandfather Song took Li Yuqing to the end of the second floor to meet the mentally ill Song Shi.

Song Shi had been gazing blankly out the window, his body thin as a skeleton. However, upon seeing Li Yuqing, he appeared to be struck by something, and a deep pain flickered in his eyes. He quickly reached out and grabbed Li Yuqing’s hand.

“Yun’er!” he exclaimed.

Song Shi’s grip was so tight that it left several bruises on Li Yuqing’s otherwise snow-white arms.

Upon seeing Li Yuqing’s face, Song Shi slumped down with his head in his hands and spoke hoarsely, uttering his first words in days: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

The accompanying doctor was overjoyed at this development. Despite all the efforts they had made, Song Shi had not responded until now. This was the first time they had witnessed an obvious emotional disturbance in him. They suggested to Grandfather Song that he bring Li Yuqing to visit Song Shi more frequently.

Li Yuqing appeared frightened by Song Shi’s madness and crouched in the corner, her head down. Song Xu Yi quietly held her hand, silently comforting her.

“Yuqing, Song Shi is my most hopeful grandson. Seeing him like this breaks my heart. Although I don’t have many years left, I just want my grandson to recover. You saw it yourself, he only responds to you. I beg of you, can you come and spend more time with your brother, Song Shi?” Despite Li Yuqing retreating to the corner, Grandfather Song did not let her off, walking over to her and sighing heavily.

Grandfather Song put on a convincing act, appearing as a caring grandparent concerned for his grandson. But in reality, he had been avoiding Song Shi and staying five steps away from him all along. Now, he had the audacity to ask a young girl like Li Yuqing to accompany Song Shi. Song Xu Yi knew that according to the plot summary, Song Shi would eventually recover, but in this moment, Grandfather Song was being shameless.

Despite this, Li Yuqing was dependent on Grandfather Song’s household and had no ability to resist his unreasonable demands. She could only force a smile and nod. “I understand. I will definitely come to accompany Song Shi more in the future.”

Grandfather Song was pleased with Li Yuqing’s obedience.

Perhaps he had realized her multiple uses, as he waved his hand and ordered the butler to buy a large pile of clothes and toys for Li Yuqing’s room. Li Yuqing feigned joy in front of the butler, thanking Grandfather Song profusely. However, as soon as the butler left, her expression turned cold. She went to the bathroom and turned on the tap, desperately trying to wash off the feeling of Grandfather Song’s touch on her arm.

“Yuqing, what are you doing?” Song Xu Yi exclaimed.

At first, Song Xu Yi assumed that Li Yuqing had gone to use the bathroom. However, when she didn’t emerge for an extended period of time, Song Xu Yi grew concerned that something was amiss. Rushing into the bathroom, she discovered that Li Yuqing’s arm was already swollen and red.

“I feel dirty,” Li Yuqing whispered as she turned to face Song Xu Yi. Her eyes appeared unfocused, and she continued to obsessively rub her arm with soap. “Sister, I feel disgusted with myself.”

As Song Xu Yi’s nose began to tingle, she forcefully removed the soap from Li Yuqing’s grasp and took hold of her hand.

“Not dirty. Yuqing is cleaner than everyone here,” Song Xu Yi said, meeting Li Yuqing’s eyes filled with hatred and self-disgust, her heart aching. She couldn’t resist crouching down and gently touching her own face with Li Yuqing’s arm.

“Yuqing, look at me. You’re not dirty at all. The hands touching you are not your enemies, but mine. I willingly offer you all the good luck and love you deeply,” Song Xu Yi reassured her.

Li Yuqing remained unresponsive, standing still and biting her lower lip until it turned white.

“Yuqing, your family doesn’t want to see you suffer like this,” Song Xu Yi sighed, unable to resist embracing Li Yuqing’s trembling body.

Song Xu Yi turned up the faucet, feeling the cool liquid fall on her neck.

As the water rushed, Li Yuqing hugged her tightly by the waist and finally broke down into soft sobs. “I’m sorry,” she cried, “I lost Grandpa’s photo! I’m sorry, I mistook a thief for my father…”

……

Song Xu Yi understood the deep sense of guilt that Li Yuqing was carrying, and believed that it was better to allow her to express her emotions instead of bottling them up.

“Grandpa and your family will forgive you. They know that this isn’t something you intended,” she reassured Li Yuqing in a gentle voice. As Li Yuqing continued to cry, Song Xu Yi softly patted her back, providing comfort.

With the sound of the running water from the faucet in the background, Li Yuqing’s sobbing gradually subsided, and her tense body began to relax.

After a while, Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and began to carefully wipe Li Yuqing’s face and limbs with a towel. She had initially thought that lifting Li Yuqing would be challenging, but to her surprise, she found that Li Yuqing was much lighter than her age suggested.

After some contemplation, Song Xu Yi decided not to wake Li Yuqing up and carried her to bed in a baby-carry position, struggling a little. Even though Li Yuqing was already in her teens, Song Xu Yi held her for the entire walk and was out of breath.

As she got up to turn off the lights, she noticed that Li Yuqing had grabbed onto her clothes, sensing that Song Xu Yi was about to leave. Li Yuqing clung tightly to her, murmuring “hmm hmm” through her nose.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but smile, but she knew that this childlike behavior would diminish as Li Yuqing grew older. A pang of sadness swept over Song Xu Yi, and she sighed before covering Li Yuqing with a blanket and lying down beside her.

That night, Song Xu Yi had a dream.

Song Xu Yi never expected to dream within a dream: she dreamt of a little bear nuzzling and rubbing its wet, slobbery mouth against her face.

Her cheeks itched, and she subconsciously wanted to push the little bear away, but her fingertips met a soft, tender feeling.

As Song Xu Yi opened her eyes, she saw the beautiful face of Li Yuqing, who was close to her. There was a small beauty mole on Li Yuqing’s forehead, and the young girl in her teens already had the potential to become a stunning beauty in the future. The faint morning light shone on her face, softening the beauty of her eyebrows and eyes, making her look as beautiful as an angel.

Song Xu Yi touched her own face and felt that it was indeed wet.

Without thinking, Song Xu Yi glanced at Li Yuqing, who seemed to have just taken a shower. Her hair was still damp and dripping water.

Had the water from Li Yuqing’s hair fallen on her face?

Song Xu Yi didn’t think much of it and advised Li Yuqing to dry her hair quickly to avoid catching a cold. She tried to get up, but the young girl came over and hugged her tightly.

“Big sister, it’s so good to have you here!”

The little girl deliberately softened her voice, sounding soft and tender. Song Xu Yi didn’t expect the sudden shift in Li Yuqing’s behavior. Her face was a little flushed, but she was touched by the little girl’s dependent and affectionate gesture and couldn’t help but pat Li Yuqing’s head, saying, “Because Yuqing is such a good child, I will always protect you.”

Li Yuqing seemed surprised by Song Xu Yi’s words, and paused for a moment before asking, “Will big sister always protect me in the future?”

Li Yuqing spoke softly, tightening her embrace around Song Xu Yi.

Song Xu Yi sighed inwardly.

She knew that Li Yuqing was desperate for her company, but she didn’t know when she would be able to return to the real world. All she could do was offer a vague promise to Li Yuqing: “I don’t have control over when I’ll be able to be with you, but I’ll try to spend as much time with you as possible when I can.”

Despite her attempt to sound reassuring, Song Xu Yi couldn’t shake off the frustration she felt. However, Li Yuqing was always a perceptive child. She rested her head on Song Xu Yi’s chest for a while before speaking hesitantly:

“I understand, big sister.”

To Song Xu Yi, this was just a small episode.

She thought she had put this matter behind her: that Li Yuqing would accept the fact that she would suddenly leave one day, just like before.

However, in the following days, Song Xu Yi belatedly discovered that Li Yuqing had become extremely clingy. Li Yuqing started to buy sets of clothes that were obviously much larger, and would ask Song Xu Yi to try them on.

“Sister, I bought clothes that are too big!” Li Yuqing blinked her beautiful eyes and tugged at Song Xu Yi’s clothes corner: “I remember that you didn’t wear this outfit when you came before, so even fairies change their clothes, right?”

Song Xu Yi smiled awkwardly, not sure what to make of Li Yuqing’s behavior. “Sure, I can try on some clothes,” she said, trying to placate the young girl.

Song Xu Yi had never tried changing clothes in a dream before because she always felt that something “supernatural” might happen. However, the little girl’s eager gaze was too difficult to resist, so Song Xu Yi gave in and decided to give it a try.

As Song Xu Yi had expected, when she looked in the mirror, there was only a set of clothes floating in mid-air. If anyone else had seen it, they would have been shocked.

After trying on the clothes, Song Xu Yi changed back to her original outfit, but she soon realized that two buttons were missing. She searched for them for a long time but couldn’t find them. Since only Li Yuqing could see her, she decided to let it go.

However, the missing buttons made it inconvenient for Song Xu Yi to wear the shirt, which now became a V-neck, revealing her delicate collarbone and subtle curves. As Li Yuqing liked to hug her when sleeping, Song Xu Yi had to change into her dream pajamas to sleep and then change back into her own clothes when waking up. Perhaps due to frequent changes, Song Xu Yi discovered one day that there was a small hole in the hem of her clothes.

Fortunately, the hole was not a major issue, and Song Xu Yi didn’t pay much attention to it.

Moreover, Li Yuqing seemed to be in a better mood in the following days, possibly due to her acceptance of the current situation. She didn’t have any more emotional outbursts.

However, Song Shi’s treatment reached a bottleneck.

Despite his efforts to engage with Li Yuqing and show concern for her health, he remained aloof with everyone else.

Grandfather Song was dissatisfied with Song Shi’s treatment progress and repeatedly criticized the doctors involved. He also advised Li Yuqing to stay close to Song Shi and emulate her older sister.

But Li Yuqing refused to follow Grandfather Song’s instructions.

Despite being scolded repeatedly by Grandfather Song and seeing the worry in Song Xu Yi’s eyes, Li Yuqing knelt down in front of the despondent Song Shi in his wheelchair and looked straight into his sunken eyes. “Song Shi gege, I’m actually very scared of Grandfather Song,” she said softly.

Song Shi looked surprised at Li Yuqing’s words and glanced at her, pulling the corner of his lips. “Nobody in the entire Song family isn’t afraid of him,” he replied.

Li Yuqing continued, her voice still gentle but resolute: “I don’t like pretending to please you. But Grandfather Song said I have to please you. I don’t want to live in a dark and damp rental room anymore, and I don’t want to go hungry for two or three days. So I try to overcome my fear, imitate my older sister, and come to see you every day.”

“Song Shi gege, I know you’re pretending to be sick. I don’t know why you’re doing it, but I want to live a good life.”

……

Li Yuqing kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Song Shi, while he covered his face with his hands, unable to face her.

After a while, Song Shi finally lowered his hands and his tired eyes met Li Yuqing’s gaze.

Despite being a young man, his voice sounded like that of an old man who had weathered many storms, revealing his exhaustion: “I understand.”

“Yuqing, I will protect you. This is what I owe your sister,” he continued.

As expected, Song Shi’s condition improved after their conversation.

As a result, Grandfather Song’s attitude towards Li Yuqing improved significantly. He started sending her to school and providing her with a generous allowance every month.

Around this time, electronic devices started to become popular, and Grandfather Song was pleased to see Li Yuqing’s request for the latest mobile phones and computers to play games. He naturally agreed to her requests.

However, Grandfather Song was unaware that, right under his nose, the little girl who claimed she wanted to play games was actually self-studying business knowledge. She began to contact the person in charge of the wealth left overseas by Grandfather Li for business investment, and under the guidance of Song Xu Yi, who was once the richest woman, Li Yuqing made remarkable progress.

Time flew by, and Song Xu Yi had already spent half a year in this dream. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, she gradually felt a sense of panic taking over her heart. She didn’t know how much longer she had to stay in this dream, nor did she have any idea about the passage of time in the real world. Sensing her unease, Li Yuqing stuck to her like glue, doing everything in her power to make her happy. She hugged her and made promises like a spoiled child, “Sister, if you stay, I will do my best to treat you well. Although I have nothing now, I will give you whatever you want in the future…”

So, when Song Xu Yi opened her eyes one day to see the bright white light above her head, smelled the disinfectant in the hospital, and saw Li Yuqing’s surprised smile in the real world, she almost instinctively thought about the little Li Yuqing in her dream: what would happen to her after she woke up?

“You’ve been unconscious for a day and a night. Fortunately, the checkup showed no major problems. The doctor said you’ve been lacking sleep lately, so I didn’t wake you up and let you rest more…” Li Yuqing continued to speak, but Song Xu Yi’s attention was elsewhere.

She glanced down at her clothes and noticed that she was wearing the same shirt she had on before she fainted. However, two buttons had fallen off and the back had ripped, just like the clothes she wore in the dream.

Could it be a coincidence?

A disturbing thought crossed her mind, and she couldn’t help but look at Li Yuqing. Li Yuqing was also looking at her, and for a moment, Song Xu Yi felt like their eyes were overlapping, just like in the dream.

Was it possible that everything that had happened in the dream was more than just a dream?