GV – Chapter 76

The dangerous elements of the plot had now been eliminated. In the novel, this was the time for Shen Wei to go abroad and bring Shangguan Xianxian back. But in the real world outside the novel, it was now time for Shangguan Xianxian to bid farewell to Shen Wei and choose to study abroad.

What happened to Liu Meng had a huge impact on her. This impact had long been suppressed by her precarious family situation. Once she was free from that, her innate sense of justice and dedication spurred her to repeatedly contemplate what Liu Meng, and people like her, truly represented.

They might be the unavoidable wear and tear produced as this well-functioning world operates. Shangguan Xianxian knew full well that no matter how comprehensive a set of laws and regulations was, it could only protect the interests of the vast majority, not everyone. There would always be a minority left exposed to the harsh realities of human evil.

They might also be a sign of the world’s progress toward good. Just a hundred years ago, many things we now consider evil were not considered so; some were even protected by custom and became cultural characteristics. And the things people like Liu Meng endured were, two hundred years ago, the fate most women had to face—to be violated, to be chosen, to be demeaned. In an era where women had no dignity, a young girl was just another type of commodity. But now, harming these people is a universally recognized evil. Does that mean such harm will become an occasional incident, rather than a foreseeable part of life?

Two answers, one negative, one positive. Shangguan Xianxian couldn’t tell which was more correct. The only thing she could be certain of was her urgent desire to do something for Liu Meng and those like her.

Not just stopping at a charity event, but making it her life’s work.

This was the solid monument the adult Shangguan Xianxian erected for her eighteen-year-old self.

After long deliberation, Shangguan Xianxian decided that the first thing she needed to do was go abroad to learn from advanced experiences in this field.

If she were to go abroad, she naturally had to discuss it with Shen Wei. After all, Shen Wei couldn’t go. Sheng Jing was at a critical stage, and she had to stay in the country to oversee it. Moreover, given the nature of Sheng Jing’s products, going abroad rashly was not a safe option. The pursuit in Europe last time had been so relentless; it would have been nearly impossible without some foreign speculators collaborating with Shangguan Chong.

But this meant they would have to be apart for a while.

And a very long while at that.

Discussing these things with Shen Wei did not go smoothly. She knew that after such a long separation, for her to abruptly plan for more farewells in the future was too cruel for Shen Wei, for whom she was the very axis of her life.

But Weiwei, despite looking young, had the life experience of someone ten years her senior. As the elder, she would be more tolerant and understanding, right?

Shangguan Xianxian hoped so.

The result was Shen Wei giving her the cold shoulder for a week.

The last thing she said before the cold war began was: “You don’t care about me at all.”

And she’d said it with a sob in her voice.

During that week, Shangguan Xianxian tried countless times to have a proper talk with Shen Wei, to tell her that she would come back to visit often, even if she was abroad. Besides, she didn’t believe for a second that their feelings would be diluted by distance. On the contrary, it was precisely because of her firm belief in the quality of their love that Shangguan Xianxian could so quickly decide to pursue her dream.

But Shen Wei kept avoiding her, afraid that Shangguan Xianxian would easily persuade her.

She didn’t want to be separated from Xianxian at all!

Hiding in Sheng Jing’s R&D center, feeling utterly wronged, Shen Wei thought of her good sister who had suffered alongside her, Ye Yuhuan. Alone in her lonely room, she sent Ye Yuhuan a barrage of ten desperate calls. The person who answered had a breathless, rather impatient voice. “Is Sheng Jing going bankrupt?”

“…”

“Can’t you wish us well for once?”

“Ye Yuhuan, let me tell you…”

“Get to the point.”

“…Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?” Shen Wei now felt that the grievances she suffered at Shangguan Xianxian’s hands were perhaps tolerable after all.

Of course, she hadn’t woken up on the wrong side of the bed, but there was a little cat constantly squirming on top of her. The cat seemed to have realized that she was currently at its mercy, its paws stretching out everywhere, touching here and there. Ye Yuhuan grabbed both paws with one hand, let out a breath, and rubbed her chin against the cat’s forehead while replying to Shen Wei, “I’m busy with something important right now. If it’s nothing, don’t bother me.”

The trip to Europe had given Shen Wei an almost blind faith in Ye Yuhuan’s intelligence. Who else in the world could whip up an explosive from food ingredients on the spot in twenty minutes? The moment the flames erupted, Shen Wei even suspected that her own rebirth was the accidental result of an experiment by this mad scientist, Ye Yuhuan.

If Ye Yuhuan said she was busy with something important, she might be developing some new type of bomb.

So, she obediently summarized her point, cutting out ninety-nine percent of her original complaints and grievances. “Xianxian is going to leave me.”

“Ah? So you two were only together because of the plot, huh? Has she finally awakened from her ‘official pairing’ character setting?” Ye Yuhuan’s interest was piqued. She had previously guessed that Song Zhiqing’s obsession with Shangguan Xianxian was influenced by the plot, but she’d never had a chance to prove it. It seemed a living example had just appeared.

Shen Wei fell silent for three seconds at this cold remark.

When she spoke again, her melancholy had been completely replaced by annoyance. “Can’t you wish me well for once? Seriously, did you drink poison for breakfast? Your words are so toxic.”

“Ahem.” Ye Yuhuan was a little embarrassed. She had been a bit too excited just now and had probably hurt poor Shen Wei’s feelings.

“Go on, I’m listening.”

This time, she was much more serious.

“Xianxian is going to study abroad, and you know my situation, I can only stay in the country. But we went through so much to finally be together. Why is she leaving me right when we’re supposed to be enjoying our happy ending? I feel like she doesn’t care about me as much as I thought.”

What were she and Shangguan Xianxian? They were the main couple of a yuri novel whose entire plot revolved around their romance! Logically, Shangguan Xianxian’s mind should be filled with nothing but her, besides eating and sleeping, just like her own.

So how did this new life goal of helping abused minors suddenly appear?

This gave rise to a hidden worry in Shen Wei’s heart. Whether in her past life or this one, it seemed Shangguan Xianxian wasn’t absolutely inseparable from her. In her past life, she could push her away for the greater good; in this life, she was choosing to spend less time with her for the sake of her career.

Did that mean she didn’t like her that much?

Besides, Xianxian was only eighteen. She seemed mature, but she was still at an age where she’d enjoy excitement. What if she met someone more attractive abroad?

Now that there was no plot to orchestrate the events that brought them together, everything was up to them, and Shen Wei was starting to panic.

Just as Ye Yuhuan said, without the plot, would Xianxian still love her as much as ever?

These thoughts were too dark for Shen Wei to even voice, but Ye Yuhuan, having grown up in darkness, understood her anxiety.

So she offered her advice: “What can you do? Act cute, be clingy, and make her love you forever. It’s not like you can live without her anyway.”

Shen Wei hung up.

Damn it, I asked you to comfort me, not to expose me!

Shen Wei broke through her mental block and went to act cute and clingy. As for what shameless conditions she demanded Shangguan Xianxian agree to in the process, that was none of Ye Yuhuan’s concern.

What concerned her now was the little cat that, having had its paws restrained, had started to make trouble with its teeth.

Her chin was being gently nibbled. It didn’t hurt, but it had a continuous, persistent presence.

Ye Yuhuan looked down and said helplessly, “Didn’t we agree to study today?”

Song Zhiqing released her teeth, inspected the small patch of skin she had nibbled red, and kissed it soothingly before saying, “But you promised. One kiss for every worksheet I finish.”

After speaking, she raised a finger to emphasize, “That last one was interrupted by Shen Wei, so it doesn’t count.”

Ye Yuhuan lifted her chin and reminded her, “You kissed me here. That wasn’t interrupted at all.”

“Eh?”

“Eh???”

She’d been found out.

Song Zhiqing chuckled and pinched Ye Yuhuan’s chin. “Alright, alright. Let’s study, my great scholar.”

That Song Zhiqing. Ever since discovering that Ye Yuhuan also got shy during intimate moments, she had frequently resorted to these self-destructive tactics that hurt her opponent as much as they hurt herself.

Take right now, for instance. Song Zhiqing had once again turned into a steaming tomato, but the smile playing on her lips was as if she had no idea she was blushing at all.

She’s a handful, Ye Yuhuan thought. At this rate, I’m going to be completely wrapped around her finger.

Besides studying, had Song Zhiqing been secretly learning some other mischievous things?

Ye Yuhuan propped up her chin and looked at Song Zhiqing, who had already picked up her pen to work on a worksheet on the other side of the table. Her expression was relaxed, her perfectly shaped peach-blossom eyes filled with starlight as she gazed unblinkingly in Song Zhiqing’s direction.

The snow was melting, and the cold air accumulated over the winter was being released from the white earth, stopping abruptly before the man-made house. It resentfully left a layer of mist on the window, but even that mist was thoroughly concealed by the double-layered curtains, leaving only a faint chill that seeped through the gaps in the fabric to cool the heat on Song Zhiqing’s face.

She pressed her pen down hard, drawing a long, jagged ink line on the scratch paper, as chaotic as the state of her mind.

“What are you looking at!” Song Zhiqing said fiercely.

Realizing she might have disturbed her, Ye Yuhuan smiled apologetically and picked up a book from the side to read.

Song Zhiqing lowered her head again to work on her problems. Less than two minutes later, she looked up and tapped the table with the tip of her pen.

“Why did you stop looking?”

“You seem to be acting unreasonably on purpose, don’t you?” Ye Yuhuan observed her earnestly before reaching this conclusion.

Song Zhiqing nodded directly, putting on an imperious air. “What are you going to do if I am?”

As she spoke, her hand drew circles of varying sizes on the paper.

“Me?” Ye Yuhuan paused deliberately before saying, “Then I’ll play along with you.”

A long oval appeared on the paper, its shape almost resembling a thick line.

“Tsk, so this is the girlfriend treatment.”

Ye Yuhuan closed her book and smiled. “This is the Song Zhiqing treatment.”

Of course, the consequence of flirting midway through a study session was that the worksheet didn’t get finished.

As a result, Song Zhiqing painfully lost out on two kisses.

And as her girlfriend, Ye Yuhuan was also filled with regret for her lover’s loss.

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