Chapter 14: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — Little Yu, Focus

Shi Yu felt like she couldn’t breathe, as if a massive boulder were crushing her while blazing sun scorched her from above, leaving her parched and her vision blurry.

Her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds, aching beyond endurance.

“Mm…”

A soft hum came from beside her. Shi Yu finally managed to open her eyes.

Jiang Qiuyan lay beside her, the picture of satisfaction. As Shi Yu looked over, her lashes fluttered awake. Her drowsy, misty eyes lit up with a smile the moment she saw her.

“Good morning~”

She cupped the back of Shi Yu’s head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Shi Yu stared at the small cut on her lips for a few seconds, then instinctively reached up to touch it.

“Does it hurt? I’m sorry.”

She vaguely remembered things had gotten too intense and she couldn’t take it, so she’d bitten Jiang Qiuyan.

Would she think she had a terrible temper? Little birds were supposed to be docile and obedient, not suddenly peck at their owner.

Shi Yu reflected on her behavior while watching Jiang Qiuyan’s expression.

Jiang Qiuyan noticed she was reading her mood again and felt a subtle displeasure. Then she thought: It must be because I haven’t given her enough love yet, that’s why she reacts this way.

“Instead of sorry, I’d rather have something else.”

Shi Yu looked at her earnestly. “What?”

Jiang Qiuyan touched the wound on her lips, her voice languid. “Maybe it needs to be disinfected with saliva.”

Shi Yu’s mind whirled. It took several seconds before she understood. She pressed her lips to Jiang Qiuyan’s, leaving a soft kiss.

“We haven’t brushed our teeth yet. I can’t lick it…” And saliva can’t actually disinfect anything.

Jiang Qiuyan chuckled, teasing. “I never told you to lick it.”

“You clearly said it needs saliva to disinfect,” Shi Yu retorted in a small voice.

“Right. But did I ever use the word ‘lick’?”

Shi Yu couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. And judging by Jiang Qiuyan’s teasing gaze, she was definitely doing it on purpose.

“Baby, what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

Shi Yu’s heart skipped. She stared at her unblinkingly and saw that same playful expression. She felt a mix of disappointment and relief.

Jiang Qiuyan had never called her that outside of intimate moments. Hearing it suddenly made her heart skip a beat. Good thing she was just joking.

Jiang Qiuyan reached over and pulled her into her arms, kissing the top of her head. “What are you thinking about now?”

“Aren’t you going to work?”

“Taking annual leave. I’m taking you out to have fun.”

Shi Yu’s eyes lit up at once. “Where are we going?”

Jiang Qiuyan looked down at her, eyes smiling. “Wherever you want to go. Going abroad might be tight on time, but anywhere in the country is fine.”

Shi Yu couldn’t think that far ahead. Where she wanted to go most was an amusement park.

When she was little, there was a small children’s playground near home. Other kids could go in and play, but even peeking from outside made her mother unhappy.

Her mother said she wasn’t worthy.

Would going to an amusement park cost a lot of money? Would Jiang Qiuyan think it was childish?

Asking Jiang Qiuyan to spend her precious vacation time at an amusement park with her… did she deserve that?

Noticing her mood sinking, Jiang Qiuyan pinched her nose. “If you keep overthinking, we won’t go anywhere at all. We’ll spend the whole day in bed.”

Shi Yu scrambled out of her arms in alarm and tottered out of bed on shaky legs.

“I… I’m going to take a shower.”

Watching the little omega flee, the amusement in Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes deepened. But once the bathroom door closed, her expression gradually turned serious.

Shi Yu was well-behaved and sweet. Just seeing her innocent little face put Jiang Qiuyan in a good mood.

But the other person didn’t seem to think the same way.

Staying by her side, Shi Yu was cautious about everything, no different from how she’d been at the Pei household.

How could she get Shi Yu to trust her more?

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Qiuyan picked up her phone and dialed a number.

“Doesn’t Pei Corporation want that plot of land at East Ridge? Bid against them. Whatever they offer, go ten times higher.”

The voice on the other end: “Are you insane?”

“And that thing I mentioned before, Shi Huaixin’s dirty little side businesses. Send me the investigation results.”

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up. She threw off the covers and walked into the bathroom, bare as the day she was born.

Shi Yu startled and turned around, misty-eyed. Jiang Qiuyan approached step by step and gathered the frightened little rabbit into her arms.

Hot water filled the bathroom with steam. Shi Yu’s features looked even softer through the haze.

Jiang Qiuyan easily turned her around and ran a hand over her peach-pink back. “You worked hard last night. Let me wash you.”

Shi Yu opened her mouth to say no, but the moment it opened, her tongue was caught.

They lingered in the bathroom for quite a while. By the time they finished lunch and set out, it was already late. Shi Yu still didn’t know where they were going.

“Where are we going?”

“Wherever you want to go.”

Jiang Qiuyan took Shi Yu to the largest amusement park in Hai City.

There were very few people. Even for a weekday, it was suspiciously empty.

Shi Yu gazed up at the Ferris wheel with longing eyes. Jiang Qiuyan stood beside her, her gaze never leaving Shi Yu.

Seeing Shi Yu smile lifted her own mood.

“Want to ride that?” she asked.

Shi Yu nodded. “It’s rare for us to come. I want to try everything.”

After the carousel and the pirate ship, Shi Yu set her sights on the roller coaster. She was eager to go, but Jiang Qiuyan beside her hesitated.

“Miss Jiang, are you scared of this?”

The girl’s unexpected question plunged the surrounding air into dead silence. There were people queuing behind them. Jiang Qiuyan cleared her throat and said, “No.”

Once on the roller coaster, Shi Yu was certain: she was definitely scared.

After getting off, Shi Yu was beaming with excitement, while Jiang Qiuyan’s face was pale. She leaned against the wall for a long time to recover.

“I want to go again…”

“We’ll come back later. Let’s try something else first.”

Shi Yu was pulled away.

They played until night fell. The Ferris wheel’s dazzling lights came on, and Shi Yu and Jiang Qiuyan climbed aboard.

As they rose to the highest point, colorful fireworks burst across the sky. Shi Yu pressed her face to the window in delight and was pulled into Jiang Qiuyan’s arms.

She circled Shi Yu’s waist and rested her chin against the nape of her neck. “Do you like it?”

“I love it! Today is the happiest day of my life. Thank you.”

Shi Yu turned to look at her, eyes sparkling brighter than the fireworks in the sky.

Jiang Qiuyan pecked her on the lips, her eyes curving into crescents.

Shi Yu was about to kiss her back when her phone suddenly rang. She pulled it from her pocket, but before she could read the number, Jiang Qiuyan gripped her chin and kissed her.

“Focus, Little Yu.”

The phone dropped to the ground. On the screen, Shi Huaixin’s name flashed relentlessly.