CH 122

Villainous Stand-in (20)

Song Xu Yi ran away in a panic that day and found that the rain had ceased. Although Li Yuqing shouldn’t be afraid anymore since there were no more thunder and lightning, Song Xu Yi lacked the courage to return and check on her. Instead, she retreated home with an ostrich-like mentality and covered herself with a blanket.

That night, she couldn’t fall asleep.

Her mind being filled with ambiguous scenes of the two almost getting too close and her concern for Li Yuqing’s situation, causing her to feel hot and anxious.

“I knew it would be like this,” sighed the system in Song Xu Yi’s mind with a desolate tone, having observed the increasing closeness between her and Li Yuqing and becoming increasingly concerned about passing its own inner test.

Despite the system’s remark, Song Xu Yi didn’t pay much attention and sighed in response.

Deciding that she couldn’t sleep anyways, Song Xu Yi got up in one go and started drawing.

She was working on the final chapter of her manga, where the female protagonist discovered the story behind a female celebrity and sympathized with her. In her own shoes, Song Xu Yi envisioned herself silently agreeing to help the female celebrity seek revenge. However, she didn’t want the celebrity to remain in a state of perpetual sadness. To rectify this, she added an extra chapter after the female protagonist’s death where the celebrity found warmth and healing and lived happily ever after.

Song Xu Yi spent the entire night drawing, focused on her work.

As soon as she knocked on the door, Li Yuqing answered it almost immediately.

Li Yuqing was wearing a simple woolen coat with a high-necked base shirt underneath, giving her an elegant and beautiful appearance.

Li Yuqing seldom dressed up like this, which might have been due to her guilt. During their journey to school, Song Xu Yi discreetly glanced at her several times.

Observing that Li Yuqing appeared calm and there were no indications of anything unusual, Song Xu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though Li Yuqing had forgotten what had happened the previous night.

As per their usual routine, Song Xu Yi trailed behind Li Yuqing, accompanying her to school and eating meals together.

However, in the succeeding days, Song Xu Yi couldn’t discern if it was merely her imagination or not – she had a persistent sense that Li Yuqing’s demeanor towards her had become noticeably colder.

Although Li Yuqing was still courteous and polite when she interacted with Song Xu Yi, she no longer smiled at her as much. Li Yuqing stopped reminding her to run on time and, when their gazes met, Li Yuqing would quickly look away.

Initially, Li Yuqing’s peculiar behavior didn’t concern Song Xu Yi.

However, it was the system that prompted Song Xu Yi, “Xu Yi, is she giving you the silent treatment?”

Song Xu Yi was taken aback. Li Yuqing did seem a bit different lately, but she couldn’t be giving her the silent treatment… or could she?

According to Song Xu Yi’s understanding, the silent treatment involves both parties ignoring each other. However, Li Yuqing’s conduct still appeared to be relatively calm. She would reply when Song Xu Yi greeted her.

“You must be mistaken!” Song Xu Yi firmly responded to the system, “She doesn’t know about what happened that night. Therefore, she shouldn’t be giving me the silent treatment…”

The system chuckled twice, sensing that Li Yuqing was up to something, but it enjoyed causing trouble for the villain. Even if it detected something was amiss, it preferred not to inform Song Xu Yi and happily observed the situation.

As it turned out, the system’s intuition was spot on.

One afternoon after school, Song Xu Yi noticed a new variety of milk tea at a nearby milk tea shop and asked Li Yuqing to wait while she went to purchase two cups of milk tea, one for each of them.

In the past, Li Yuqing would have undoubtedly requested to accompany Song Xu Yi to buy the milk tea.

However, this time, Li Yuqing just glanced at Song Xu Yi and then lowered her head, responding, “Okay.”

Despite Li Yuqing’s indifferent tone, Song Xu Yi still didn’t sense anything unusual and happily went to the milk tea shop to purchase their drinks.

She savored the creamy sweetness of her milk tea, unaware of the brewing storm.

Upon receiving the cup of milk tea with cream on top from Song Xu Yi, Li Yuqing did not reach out to take it.

Instead, she looked at Song Xu Yi with red eyes, trying to suppress her emotions, and uttered, “Song Xu Yi, do you even have a heart?”

……

Song Xu Yi remained rooted to the spot as she watched Li Yuqing turn away, her face hidden behind her hands.

It was clear that Li Yuqing didn’t want to reveal this vulnerable side of herself to Song Xu Yi. She hastily spun around and made a beeline for her apartment.

What could have triggered this sudden outburst?

Song Xu Yi trailed after Li Yuqing, her mind abuzz with confusion. However, Li Yuqing picked up pace and by the time they reached the elevator, Song Xu Yi could hear the sound of the next-door apartment door slamming shut.

Uncertain of what to do next, Song Xu Yi lingered outside Li Yuqing’s door, clutching her milk tea in hand.

Li Yuqing’s expression was one of anger, causing Song Xu Yi to hesitate about whether or not to face her.

Despite this, she decided to go ahead and enter Li Yuqing’s room.

Having the password to Li Yuqing’s room, Song Xu Yi was about to unlock the door when the silent system unexpectedly intervened: “She’s watching you through the peephole behind the door!”

It was clear that Li Yuqing was simply putting on an act, just like she did when she was previously upset!

Although Song Xu Yi was unaware of the system’s thoughts, she heeded its warning and withdrew her hand, avoiding an unpleasant confrontation.

Song Xu Yi let out a sigh as she contemplated the situation. “She must be holding the door from the inside, deliberately avoiding opening it for me,” she muttered, feeling dejected. Recalling her recent conversation with the system, she couldn’t resist asking, “System, is Li Yuqing giving me the silent treatment?”

To her dismay, the system remained silent, seemingly relishing Li Yuqing’s frosty demeanor as she denied Song Xu Yi entry.

The system had no intention of letting Song Xu Yi in on the secret.

In fact, the more ignorant Song Xu Yi remained, the better it was for the system.

Upon returning to her room, Song Xu Yi lay on her bed for a prolonged period, racking her brain to determine what had caused Li Yuqing’s anger towards her.

Afterwards, Song Xu Yi resolved to set aside her worries and confront Li Yuqing the following day when she had cooled down. She turned her attention towards her manga drawing, which was gradually gaining popularity and receiving recommendations on the website, necessitating more frequent updates.

She was so engrossed in her work that she hardly noticed the passing of time.

When she finally looked up, she found herself face-to-face with Li Yuqing’s frosty countenance.

“Xu Yi, you only have twenty minutes left before class starts. You still have time to freshen up!” Li Yuqing admonished.

Song Xu Yi was taken aback and glanced at the clock. Her sleepiness vanished in an instant, and she quickly sprang to her feet, brushing her teeth and washing her face in a hurry. She had no time to change her pajamas, so she hastily donned a down jacket and a loose pair of sports pants over her sleepwear, grabbed her backpack, and pulled Li Yuqing out the door in a rush.

Li Yuqing appeared taken aback by Song Xu Yi’s sudden action, but quickly regained her composure as Song Xu Yi grabbed her hand.

“Quick, we’re running out of time!” Song Xu Yi urged as they hurried towards the classroom.

They raced down the hallway, and Song Xu Yi managed to make it into the classroom just as the bell rang. This time, she opted for a seat in the corner rather than the front row, nervously watching as the professor arrived two minutes later. Only then did Song Xu Yi breathe a sigh of relief.

It was only after the fact that Song Xu Yi realized she had inadvertently brought Li Yuqing along with her to class.

Li Yuqing was already in her second semester of senior year and had no need to attend classes any longer.

Song Xu Yi cast a sidelong glance at Li Yuqing and felt her cheeks grow warm.

Although Li Yuqing maintained her usual expressionless facade and refrained from speaking to Song Xu Yi, she did reach out to carefully adjust the bulging sleeping cap in Song Xu Yi’s down jacket.

Despite Li Yuqing’s close proximity, her cold and distant demeanor left Song Xu Yi feeling uneasy. She couldn’t shake the sense that Li Yuqing was still angry with her, and perhaps she should try to make amends.

Just then, the professor at the front of the room began to take attendance, drawing Song Xu Yi’s attention away from her thoughts.

This particular professor was known for his strict demeanor. Not only did he roll call, but he also made a point to count the number of students in the class to ensure accuracy.

The professor finished roll calling and proceeded to count the number of students in the class. After counting twice, he realized there was one extra person in the room.

Noticing the professor’s frown, Song Xu Yi raised her hand and the professor finally noticed Li Yuqing sitting next to her.

“Oh, Xu Yi! Not only have you been active in class, but you’ve also brought a guest. Well done, well done!” the professor joked.

Having a close relationship with Father Song and having watched Song Xu Yi grow up, the professor couldn’t help but tease her.

Song Xu Yi laughed at the joke and looked over at Li Yuqing beside her. She noticed the corners of Li Yuqing’s lips curling up into a small smile, but as if sensing Song Xu Yi’s gaze, Li Yuqing quickly reverted to her usual cold expression and pursed her lips, hiding her smile once again.

“Is that all she’s angry about?”

Song Xu Yi was a bit at a loss, and her desire to appease Li Yuqing grew even stronger.

Recently, Li Yuqing seemed extremely busy, leaving the classroom immediately after class.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t find a chance to talk to her during the day, so she waited until after 9 o’clock at night when Li Yuqing returned home next door.

Despite the system urging her to “just ignore her for a few days and she might figure it out on her own,” Song Xu Yi rejected the idea and summoned the courage to knock on Li Yuqing’s door.

Li Yuqing opened the door faster than Song Xu Yi had expected.

Li Yuqing had already changed into a nightgown, which couldn’t hide her graceful and alluring body curves. At that moment, Li Yuqing exuded a gentle fragrance of shower gel, and her hair was still wet from the shower. It seemed like she had just finished taking a bath.

Song Xu Yi pursed her lips.

She had thought she was mentally prepared, but when she stood in front of Li Yuqing, she felt extremely nervous and looked down at her toes, unable to say a word for a long time.

Finally, a sigh from above her head preceded Li Yuqing’s voice, which sounded neither happy nor angry: “Xu Yi, do you have something to say?”

“To take a risk or play it safe, both come with their own consequences…”

Summoning her courage, Song Xu Yi took a deep breath and apologized to Li Yuqing. “I’m sorry, Yuqing. I know I have done something that has upset you, and I’m deeply sorry for it.”

“Oh.”

There was a long silence before Li Yuqing responded in her usual calm and cold tone, “Alright, Xu Yi. Can you tell me what you did wrong and how you plan to make it right?”

Song Xu Yi was lost for words, not knowing how to answer Li Yuqing’s question.

Song Xu Yi was clueless about what had hurt Li Yuqing, but she desperately wanted to make things right and alleviate her sadness.

As she tried to think of what she had done wrong, she noticed Li Yuqing’s silence and raised her head. Li Yuqing’s eyes were red once again.

“Song Xu Yi, what do you mean?!”

“You made a manga based on my image, you took care of me and indulged me. I thought you liked me…” Tears glistened in Li Yuqing’s eyes as she looked at Song Xu Yi. She turned her head away, as if to hide her tears. “But I never thought you were such a jerk. You slept with me and couldn’t even own up to it! I’m even more angry at myself for knowing you’re a jerk and still thinking about you every day…”

What sleep?

Song Xu Yi’s eyes widened in shock, leaving her almost speechless for a while. Finally, she managed to stammer, “I… I swear I didn’t do it!”

Li Yuqing’s expression turned to one of disappointment as she looked at Song Xu Yi. She let out a cold laugh and pulled out her phone, opening up the photo album. Several pictures of Li Yuqing exposing her neck with clear kiss marks on it were displayed on the screen.

“That day, I woke up with my clothes in disarray and multiple kiss marks on my neck. I checked the surveillance footage and found that no one had entered my room except for you.”

“At that moment, I was filled with anticipation, waiting for you to confess your feelings for me and for us to be together. I even had some feelings for you myself. But I never expected you to act like it never happened!”

Li Yuqing turned her head away, as if she did not want Song Xu Yi to see her tears. “And yet, I couldn’t help but still have feelings for you…”

The author has something to say:

Li Yuqing: Did she not realize that I was pretending to be angry?

So angry! I’m almost really angry!

Why doesn’t she come and ask me why I’m angry?

So angry!

Why hasn’t she come to comfort me yet? Isn’t she afraid I’ll leave?

……

So frustrating!

…Never mind, forget it, I’ll go ask her myself! She’s already so slow to catch on, if I don’t take action soon, it’ll be too late…

— “The Daily Thought of the Routine Queen”