Chapter 33: The Schemed School Beauty (3)

Bai Qian tossed out three hundred thousand, and Fu Siwan folded like her weak spot had been seized—she didn’t dare put up any more resistance.

Bai Qian mused to herself that when it came to educating kids, nothing beat a mix of carrot and stick.

On a side note, having money was truly wonderful!

You could buy just about anything!

After registering her WeChat account, Fu Siwan wasted no time linking her bank card. Once she confirmed the transferred funds had landed safely in her account, she finally breathed easy.

“What do you feel like eating?”

Fu Siwan laughed at her feigned nonchalance. “Whatever, Auntie. You’re clearly itching to get started—why not head back to the hotel right now? I’ve taken your money, after all. You pick when we begin.”

“…” Bai Qian gritted her teeth. “What was that promise you made earlier?”

The cheeky girl shrugged. “Come on, Auntie, you’re a grown woman. Surely you can tell when a kid like me is serious or just messing around?”

Bai Qian forced herself to stay calm. No point rushing to uproot over a decade of ingrained habits. “Fine, we’ll table that for now. But first, let’s sort out this ‘Auntie’ business. You’re eighteen, I’m only ten years older, and I don’t look that ancient, do I? Must you call me Auntie?”

She did care about how the girl addressed her.

Fu Siwan let out an enigmatic little chuckle. “Auntie, just ten years older? Doesn’t saying that make your own cheeks heat up?”

“…”

All right, she’d grit her teeth and bear it. The girl was just a misguided brat, and this body of hers was pushing thirty—no sense stooping to her level!

“Can you handle spicy food? If not, we’ll grab something bland.”

“Sure.”

“Hotpot, then?”

“Whatever.”

Bai Qian pulled up the app, searched for nearby hotpot spots, and settled on one with a solid 4.3 rating. She fired up the navigation and led the girl along.

As they passed a Xingchuang Products store, Bai Qian’s eyes locked onto the rows of plush toys displayed behind the glass door. She halted and pointed to one. “I didn’t get you a birthday gift ahead of time. Like that rabbit? Want me to buy it for you?”

Fu Siwan shot her a look of pure exasperation. “Auntie, I’m eighteen, not in grade school. Besides, didn’t you already give me something?”

Bai Qian had zero experience with birthday gifts—one of the rare skills she lacked as a Guardian.

Undeterred by the girl’s lack of enthusiasm, she tugged her straight into the store. “Electronics don’t count as birthday presents. They’re cold and lifeless. Plush toys are way better—soft and cuddly, full of warmth and charm. Which one’s your favorite? Speak up, or I’ll choose for you.”

Fu Siwan’s face darkened. “Absolutely not. It’s mortifying. Don’t get me anything. I don’t want a birthday gift.”

Bai Qian tuned out the complaints, selected a bunny clutching a carrot, paid up, and thrust it into the girl’s arms despite her scowl. “Happy birthday. Next year, just tell me what you want outright. Picking gifts myself? I’m no good at it.”

Fu Siwan made a show of hurling the offending item away, but Bai Qian cut her off before she could act. “Toss it, and our next deal’s at half price.”

“…”

Stuck with the childish birthday present, the girl trudged toward the hotpot restaurant with a thunderous scowl the entire way.

Bai Qian found her pout both hilarious and adorable. When they reached a pool of light beneath a streetlamp, she whipped out her phone and snapped a candid shot before Fu Siwan could react.

“What the hell!”

Leveraging her height advantage, Bai Qian held her arm aloft while fending off the girl’s lunge for the phone. “This thing cost over ten grand. You break it in a scuffle, and you’re paying up, little Fu Siwan.”

Whether from fury or embarrassment at the cutesy moniker, a faint pink bloomed across the girl’s cheeks, illuminated by the warm yellow glow of the streetlamp.

Like peach blossoms drifting over the water’s surface, scattering hints of springtime affection.

She glared daggers at the hopelessly immature woman. “That’s a violation of my right of publicity! I could take you to court!”

Bai Qian raised an eyebrow. “Right of publicity, huh? I figured you were the type to daydream through class and skip the learning part.”

Nailed on her school slacking, the flush deepened from pink to red. Fu Siwan still looked peeved, but closer listening revealed the edge had gone out of her voice. “Delete that photo! Or I’ll drag you to court tomorrow!”

Bai Qian saved the photo as her lock screen, waved her phone at the other girl, then casually slipped it into her pocket. “Never mind that tomorrow’s Saturday and the courts will be closed. Little friend, do you even have the money to hire a lawyer? Here’s a friendly tip: those fees aren’t cheap.”

Fu Siwan flushed with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. “Old woman! Don’t call me little friend anymore—it sounds awful!”

Bai Qian fell instantly silent.

The words “old woman” packed way too much punch.

The more stifled she felt, the smugger Fu Siwan grew. “On the age front, you’ll never have the upper hand in this lifetime. Next time you pull something like that, I’ll call you the same.”

“…” Bai Qian clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. “Let’s go eat.”

~~~

Little Sister wore an apologetic expression. “Sorry, without a reservation, we have to draw a number on site. We’re up to 376 right now. If you’re okay waiting, it’ll be about two hours until it’s your turn.”

“…”

The mall was in a pretty remote spot, and this was the only hotpot restaurant around. Heading to another one would take at least half an hour by cab.

Feeling a touch of shame, Bai Qian turned to the girl beside her. “Should we cab it over to Chaoming City instead?”

Fu Siwan didn’t throw a fit, just asked coolly, “Haven’t you ever eaten out before? Don’t you know you need to book ahead?”

Bai Qian had no comeback. In this world, this really was her first time.

“Whatever. Let’s head back to the hotel and order takeout. I’m done running around.”

“But it’s your birthday today. We can’t just do takeout.”

Fu Siwan gave a faint, mocking smile. “I’ve never celebrated one anyway. No big deal this year.”

Before Bai Qian could even feel a pang of sympathy, the girl slipped back into that infuriating tone. “Or does Auntie need me to spell it out? It’s this late already. Hotpot and back to the hotel would put us at around ten o’clock. I’m only eighteen—plenty of stamina to spare. But Auntie, you’re pushing thirty. With all that money you make, your job must keep you busy. Think you’ll still have any energy left?”

With clear intent, the girl hooked her index finger teasingly across Bai Qian’s palm. “Or did I get it wrong from the start? All this spending—is Auntie actually hoping I’ll make the first move?”

“…” Bai Qian’s face drained to a sickly pallor. “Back to the hotel. Takeout it is!”

This brat—she wanted to shove a wad of cement right into that mouth that dared say anything!

For all her words, though, Bai Qian couldn’t bring herself to settle for a basic takeout birthday meal.

While Fu Siwan was in the bathroom taking a shower, she tapped into the original host’s bottomless wallet and called up a private chef service.

The delivery arrived just as Fu Siwan emerged from the bathroom.

Spotting the upscale insulated box that Bai Qian had personally gone downstairs to fetch, she remarked offhandedly, “Takeout packaging looks this luxurious these days?”

Bai Qian shot her a glance. The girl’s skin was flawless and pale, her arms and legs peeking out from the bath towel with a soft pink glow—tender enough to hold anyone’s gaze captive.

She grabbed a jacket and moved to drape it over Fu Siwan’s shoulders. Dodging, the girl launched another age-based jab. “Auntie, I’m not cold. Don’t judge my eighteen-year-old prime with your thirty-year-old fragile constitution!”

Bai Qian’s teeth ground to powder. Face dark, she chucked the jacket aside. “Fine. At least dry your hair.”

The girl had already pulled out a chair and sat down. Ignoring the comment, she unpacked the matching chopsticks. “I’m starving. I’m eating first.”

With no other choice, Bai Qian fetched the hairdryer from the bathroom.

The outlet was right by the table. The woman plugged it in and set to work tending to this prickly little rabbit.

Fu Siwan paused mid-chew from her movements, the warm airflow hitting her head at just the right temperature.

Her face betrayed a tangle of emotions.

The girl’s long hair was impeccably maintained; Bai Qian’s fingertips glided through it effortlessly, all the way to the tips.

It was Bai Qian’s first time doing anything like this—it wasn’t covered in the Guardian’s core curriculum or electives—but her motions were deft and assured, as if she’d blow-dried someone else’s hair many times before.

That half-chewed bite of rice in the girl’s mouth went untouched by her teeth from the moment the dryer hummed to life until it clicked off.

“All done. Go ahead and eat. I’m not hungry yet—I’m going to shower.”

Fu Siwan jolted back to awareness, swallowing the now-cold lump of rice down her throat in a belated gulp. It tasted awful.

She dropped her gaze to the array of dishes on the table, each one screaming expense. A memory surfaced—she hadn’t spotted the usual price slip when she’d unpacked earlier.

The doorbell chimed.

Fu Siwan snapped out of it and rose to answer the door.

The woman’s earlier words suddenly echoed in her ears. She tried to shake them off, took a couple of steps, then circled back to the bedside and picked up the school jacket she’d left there.

After pulling on her pants as well, the girl finally went to open the door.

It was a Meituan delivery worker, who handed her the cake with a smile and said, “Happy birthday.”

Fu Siwan stared at the exquisite cake shaped like a rabbit inside the transparent packaging. She didn’t blink for a long time, and finally, the corners of her lips curved faintly.

When she was very young, an elder had given her a rabbit—pink and tender, unbearably adorable.

But Fu Siwan had only kept it for a single day.

The next day, she saw her little pet on the dining table, dismembered before it had even fully formed.

No wonder, when the woman had given her that rabbit doll earlier, she hadn’t felt any fondness for it—in fact, she’d felt a deep aversion.

It wasn’t dislike at all. It was a subconscious fear that had made her temporarily forget how to love something like that.

Bai Qian pushed open the bathroom door and discovered that all the lights in the room had been turned off.

“Why’d you turn off the lights? Are you tired?”

The light switch was right by the door. Bai Qian groped her way over in the darkness from memory, but just as her fingertip touched it, a warm, soft little hand seized her wrist.

A fragrant, supple body, soft as jade, pressed into her arms. The girl clutched her tightly, her ink-black almond eyes lost in the shadows, too indistinct to make out at all.

Judging from her warm, soft, and lingering voice, those clear, beautiful eyes were likely brimming with an intoxicating haze of desire.

“Sister, wish me happy birthday a little early.”

The words had barely left her mouth when she rose on tiptoe, trembling as she offered her lips to Bai Qian.