Chapter 42: So Timid

“What did you say?” Hua Man asked, though she knew full well.

“You don’t want to see your sister anymore?” Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly, finding Hua Man a bit inscrutable.

“She’s just a stranger connected by blood. There’s no need for me to sacrifice too much.” Hua Man met Yang Zhao’s gaze directly. “I don’t usually cook for others. You think it’s not enough, but I think it’s more than plenty. Since our ideas don’t align, there’s no point in negotiating.”

Yang Zhao paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

This version of Hua Man was so interesting.

Seeing that Yang Zhao didn’t get angry at her “insolence,” Hua Man felt more at ease. As long as it didn’t involve others, Yang Zhao seemed reasonably easygoing.

“When will my mom come back?” She shifted the topic.

At that, Yang Zhao changed her position on the sofa. She lay down, propping her head up with one hand, and looked at her with a half-smile. “She’s not coming back.”

Hua Man’s expression changed instantly. “What do you mean?”

Was Yang Zhao going to use Chen Yan to control her?

Savoring the shifts in Hua Man’s expression, Yang Zhao said leisurely, “My grandmother is elderly and frail. As her granddaughter, isn’t it only right to send a few servants over?”

Hua Man’s suspended heart settled at once.

It was a solid reason—no one would suspect a thing.

“What did you think I meant?” Yang Zhao asked knowingly.

“I already said I’m a good girl who follows the rules. Manman, you’re not thinking I’m up to something illegal, are you?” As she spoke, Yang Zhao put on a hurt expression. “How could you think that of me? It hurts my feelings.”

“I didn’t think that.” Hua Man denied it flatly. Yang Zhao wasn’t a mind reader in her belly— so what if she lied?

“Really?” Yang Zhao blinked.

Hua Man’s tone grew firmer. “Yes.”

Yang Zhao chuckled softly. “Really? Then I feel better.”

“Will my mom stay in C City from now on?” Hua Man asked again.

“If you want her to, she’ll stay in C City indefinitely.” Here, Yang Zhao added slowly and deliberately, “Not just her—her husband too, and everyone she’s associated with. I’ve replaced them all.”

Everyone associated with Chen Yan?

Hua Man’s pupils shrank sharply.

“I spent the whole afternoon working hard to replace them all, just so you could have dinner with me and see the results of my efforts. And what did you do?” Yang Zhao’s tone rose. “You ditched me for a stranger tied only by blood?”

Hua Man’s face burned hot.

She hadn’t known Yang Zhao had done all that.

“I’m sorry.” She lowered her head, sincerely apologizing.

“One apology won’t heal my wounded heart.”

With her worries resolved, Hua Man no longer had to dwell on it. She countered, “What do you want me to do?”

“What I want?” Yang Zhao repeated the words. “Manman, you’re showing way too little sincerity.”

But Hua Man refused to let Yang Zhao lead her around by the nose. “I came back, though. I didn’t actually eat with my sister.”

She emphasized, “She was really upset about it.”

“What does her being upset have to do with me?” The playfulness in Yang Zhao’s eyes faded, and she furrowed her brow slightly. “All I know is I waited for you forty minutes.”

Hua Man was speechless again.

Yang Zhao was utterly self-centered, indifferent to others’ feelings. There was no stirring her empathy.

“Fine.” She conceded, not wanting to waste more time. “It was my fault.”

With that, she pulled something from her pocket and offered it to Yang Zhao. “The reason I was so late wasn’t my sister. It was because I went to buy this.”

A wooden cat carving lay innocently in her open palm.

Yang Zhao’s previously casual expression froze. A few seconds later, she snapped back, not taking the small item but instead fixing her gaze intently on Hua Man. “What’s this supposed to mean?”

“Last time, you seemed to really like that rabbit. I figured you’d like this kind of little thing too. Since I was out, I bought it for you.”

Hua Man said calmly.

“It’s just a cheap trinket. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

She didn’t embellish the act of buying a gift with flowery words—it wouldn’t suit her personality and would seem too contrived.

When Yang Zhao had demanded she return to the Yang residence immediately, she’d realized she couldn’t let Yang Zhao keep dictating terms.

She had to turn the tables somehow, by any means.

Even knowing Yang Zhao had rushed her back only after replacing the servants, she stuck to that resolve.

At first, hearing that Yang Zhao had arranged for Chen Yan to go to C City—and even replaced everyone she associated with, cutting off any chance of their relationship reaching Chen Yan’s ears—she’d felt touched.

But she quickly calmed down.

She remembered Yang Zhao’s “goods don’t match the description.” In Yang Zhao’s eyes, she was just an object. Yang Zhao had done this merely to act more freely in the Yang residence.

It wasn’t for her, so no need to get ahead of herself.

Seeing no reaction from Yang Zhao, she closed her palm, wrapping up the wooden cat carving.

Before she could speak, Yang Zhao grabbed her hand.

Yang Zhao pried her palm open, taking the little cat away.

“I don’t like childish things like this. Don’t buy them again.” Yang Zhao looked down, fiddling with it as she spoke. “Why didn’t you explain when you first got back?”

“Weren’t you about to whip me back then?” Hua Man replied evenly. “How could I dare?”

Yang Zhao gently traced the carving’s textures with one hand while hooking the other around Hua Man, planting a kiss on her lips. She smiled. “Who said I was going to hit you? How could I bear to lay a hand on you, Manman?”

Their foreheads touched, Hua Man calmly countered, “Didn’t you want to hit me today? If I hadn’t apologized or kissed you.”

“Of course not.”

“What about in the future?” Hua Man voiced her deepest concern. “If I upset you later, will you hit me without mercy, just like you do others?”

She asked with utter seriousness.

The smile slowly faded from Yang Zhao’s face. She pulled back, hesitating a moment before saying, “No.”

She shouldn’t have said it outright.

Telling Hua Man so definitively that she wouldn’t hit her—wouldn’t that make her even more reckless?

That hesitation struck Hua Man differently. It seemed like reluctance, clear proof of an intent to strike her.

As expected, Hua Man thought, though her face showed nothing. She pressed, “Really?”

The words were already out, so Yang Zhao smiled. “Yeah. If I hit you, wouldn’t I be a domestic abuser?”

Hitting someone was one thing; domestic violence was another. She liked getting physical, but she scorned actual abuse.

She did want to leave marks on Hua Man, but only to heighten pleasure—not to vent anger.

Still, she couldn’t let Hua Man take advantage. She pinched Hua Man’s cheek.

“If I want to punish you, I have plenty of methods.”

Hua Man’s breath caught. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if a straightforward beating or these unknown methods would be worse.

After a beat, she pulled free, lowering her eyes. “And today? Are you going to punish me today?”

That single pinch had left clear finger marks on her face. With her head slightly bowed, a hint of bleakness shadowed her features. Her usual cool demeanor now appeared somewhat pitiable.

Yang Zhao’s gaze flickered.

Whether it was the wooden cat carving in her hand or the touching face before her, neither stirred any anger.

How could she bear to punish her?

The unruly prey had suddenly sheathed its claws, showing vulnerability and catching her off guard.

She knew there was probably some acting to it, but the gift was real. And getting this blockhead to perform was progress.

Her voice softened. “You did nothing wrong. Why would I punish you?”

This brushed past the late return.

Hua Man’s taut nerves finally relaxed. She offered to resume massaging Yang Zhao’s shoulders.

Yang Zhao waved her off. “I’ve had your things sent next door. Go check if anything’s missing, pack it up, shower, and wait for me in my bed.”

Hua Man’s newly eased heart tensed again.

Though they’d shared a bed many times, those ambiguous words still made her uncontrollably nervous.

She headed next door absentmindedly.

She didn’t have many belongings to begin with, so even fewer had been moved.

A quick glance told her Yang Zhao had handled some items without permission.

Her personal clothes and shoes were gone, replaced by new, expensive designer brands.

Hua Man couldn’t help sighing.

She recalled hesitating for days before the Yang residence, scraping together money from her meager savings to buy a few outfits she thought were decent.

What a waste that had been.

Her things were few; the room was fully stocked. In under ten minutes, she’d settled everything.

It was still early.

Hua Man sat at the desk for a moment before opening the wardrobe, grabbing a robe at random, and heading to the bathroom.

Yang Zhao had prepared pajamas as promised—a pile of them, all soft and comfortable fabric, but in Yang Zhao’s style. For Hua Man, it was a huge challenge.

She stood before the mirror in the ink-green silk robe, V-neck exposing her bra underneath.

Clearly, these robes weren’t designed with underwear in mind.

It was normal not to wear a bra to bed, but Hua Man had grown up dependent on others—dorms or shared rentals later—so she rarely tried it.

Staring at the mirror, with so much bra exposed, she had to take it off.

But once she did, her face burned hotter.

Her cleavage was fully on display, with swaths of pale skin visible on either side.

It left her feeling deeply insecure.

A sudden knock at the door made her clutch the neckline instinctively.

She approached but didn’t open it, asking through the door, “What?”

Yang Zhao’s voice came from outside. “How long are you going to dawdle? Open up.”

Hearing the impatience, Hua Man opened the door at once.

The moment it swung open, she felt Yang Zhao’s gaze drop to her chest.

“Why are you covering up?”

Yang Zhao asked bluntly.

She wore a purple robe with a deep V-neck herself, looking perfectly at ease. She reached out and tugged Hua Man’s hand away.

Seeing Hua Man stand there clutching herself, face full of discomfort, Yang Zhao chuckled lightly. “What’s to be shy about? It’s not like I haven’t seen it.”

With that, she stepped back and beckoned. “Come here.”

Hua Man hesitated before taking her hand.

Yang Zhao led her down the hall. Servants stood waiting for summons, all with downcast eyes, respectful and avoiding glances.

Hua Man’s face grew even hotter.

Fortunately, no familiar faces.

No Gao Yanhua, no Yu Shan.

Once inside the room, Hua Man exhaled in relief.

Yang Zhao squeezed her hand, then tsked. “Your hands are ice-cold, Hua Man. So timid?”

“The pajamas don’t really suit me,” Hua Man said.

Yang Zhao released her and stepped back, looking her up and down.

The pajamas she’d picked for Hua Man were her own style. Someone she fancied looked stunning in them—like a proper lady, exuding elegance.

“Very suitable,” she judged.

Her gaze inevitably drifted to Hua Man’s long legs.

Hua Man was slightly taller, her legs sleek and straight beneath the robe, like white jade. But an unsightly scar marred her knee.

She’d been so focused above that she hadn’t noticed the leg scar.

“When did you get that scar?” She frowned.

It ruined the aesthetic.

“From being naughty as a kid.”

Yang Zhao’s preferences were plain on her face. Sensing her displeasure with the scar, Hua Man’s mind stirred.

“You? Naughty?” Yang Zhao’s tone lifted skeptically, disbelief written all over.

Hua Man had indeed lied to her.

This was the scar left when she had first gone to the Wu Family and Wu Fangfei had deliberately pushed her off a small platform.

But there was no need to tell Yang Zhao any of that. She didn’t think Yang Zhao was truly interested in her past experiences—Yang Zhao only cared about the scar.

Perhaps she felt dissatisfied that her “product” now had a flaw.

But the flaw was already there. Did the process even matter?

“Mm.” She nodded.

But Yang Zhao suddenly seemed interested. “How were you naughty as a child? Tell me about it.”

“Aren’t we going to sleep?” Hua Man countered.

She didn’t know that saying such words with her cool, aloof face created a huge sense of contrast.

Yang Zhao curved the corners of her mouth. “We can sleep while you chat about your naughty childhood deeds.”

Hua Man: “……”

She suddenly felt like she had lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot.

Yang Zhao had already lain down on the bed. Seeing that Hua Man hadn’t moved, she turned on her side to look at her and patted the spot in front of her. “Come here.”

Hua Man had no choice but to go over.

She lay down carefully beside Yang Zhao. Before she could even adjust her position, Yang Zhao skillfully nestled into her embrace.

Her waist was tightly encircled, and even her legs were pinned down by Yang Zhao’s.

“Go on, tell me,” Yang Zhao said as she lifted her head and planted a kiss on Hua Man’s chin. “Tell me about those naughty things you did.”

The wet sensation lingered on her chin for a long time.

Hua Man tried her best to ignore Yang Zhao’s breath spraying against her neck as she racked her brains to recall her childhood antics.

“The scar on my knee was from when I got into a fight with an older sister as a kid. She pushed me down, and later, to get revenge, I secretly dug out her hidden zero-score test paper and let her grandmother give her a thorough beating.”

“Just that?”

Yang Zhao frowned, clearly displeased.

Hua Man lowered her gaze and said nothing. Of course it wasn’t just that.