Chapter 38: The Schemed School Beauty (8)

Bai Qian had contemplated the worst possible outcome.

~~~

Fu Siwan emerging to declare that she still had no interest in studying.

If it truly came to that, how was she supposed to respond?

In the end, facts proved that at certain moments, she and the girl shared an unspoken rapport that really shouldn’t exist between them.

Fu Siwan emerged soon enough. She sat down calmly beside Bai Qian, her gaze fixed on the darkened television screen ahead as she spoke slowly.

“If someone’s bad habits could be changed by a couple of simple motivational words from another person, then they probably wouldn’t have developed those habits in the first place, Auntie. Don’t you think I’m right?”

She hadn’t explicitly stated her decision, but Bai Qian understood perfectly.

Perhaps because she’d vaguely anticipated this very outcome not long before, the woman felt no disappointment.

Fu Siwan paid no mind to her reaction. She turned her head and curved her lips into a smile at Bai Qian.

It was a lovely, faint smile.

Every bit as unreal.

“Of course, that kind of situation could still happen—but probably only if a miracle occurred. Don’t you agree?”

Fu Siwan blinked.

The sequence of expressions flickering across her face was lively in a way she’d never shown before, yet it stirred an even deeper pang of pity in the heart.

“You wanted an answer from me, and I’ve given it. So, what will you do with a disobedient good-for-nothing who refuses to study properly?”

The word “deal with” was typically reserved for defective products slated for disposal—or for people about to be cast aside.

The girl seemed fully prepared to face the consequences of her own stubborn whims. She delivered her words with calm composure, adopting an attitude of detached readiness to accept whatever judgment came.

~~~

Little Rabbit’s thorns had drawn blood from others this time—and carelessly pricked her own flesh in the process.

Bai Qian felt as if she cradled a pot of water perpetually boiling over. She’d poured cold water on it desperately, trying to bring down the heat, but the sealed vessel refused to cool properly.

Its temperature would dip now and then, giving the holder a fleeting moment of hope—only for it to hiss back to life, blazing hotter than before, all the more maddening.

Should she toss the pot aside?

Bai Qian decided no. Far from it—she would cool it with even greater force.

Only she knew the truth: once this infuriating pot consented to be opened, the treasures inside would prove unimaginably fragrant and sweet.

Without hesitation, Bai Qian pulled her Little Rabbit into her arms once more.

The poor thing, gashed and bleeding from her own barbs, had her thick, hardened shell cracked open in that instant.

She thrashed wildly in the woman’s embrace, her movements frantic, her emotions unraveling into a frenzy of tears and wails.

The security she’d been brutally robbed of since birth—even if someone now tried to shove it back into her hands—was nothing but a makeshift, flawed replica. The slightest touch shattered it, and the jagged shards only lacerated her deeper.

Bai Qian held fast to the girl, who struggled harder than ever before, refusing to slacken her grip by even a fraction.

What should have been a tender hug felt more like a grueling tug-of-war.

It wasn’t a contest of strength between them, but a relentless pull between boundless tenderness and deep-seated fear.

Seconds ticked by, one after another. At last, that invisible cord stretched taut to its limit snapped with a rip.

Fu Siwan gasped for breath, going limp and nestling into the woman’s arms without further resistance.

Bai Qian maintained the embrace for a long while before finally easing her hold.

The girl was uncharacteristically meek now, resembling a soft rabbit with its fur gently stroked smooth. Her eyes, still glistening from the tears, shone with a crystalline clarity that stole the breath away.

She stared fixedly at the woman as she dabbed away the tear tracks on her cheeks with a tissue, showing no sign of overreaction.

Softly, Bai Qian asked, “So, what would our little one like to do? Whatever it is, I’ll be right there with you.”

Fu Siwan’s voice trembled with lingering sobs, coming out soft and plaintive. What might have sounded like a challenge in anyone else twisted into pure coquetry upon reaching the ears. “Why?”

The woman’s eyes were deep pools of allure, flecked with glimmers of starlight commonly known as tenderness.

“I’ve told you before: the path to success isn’t a single road. For most people, studying is the simplest option by far. But if that ‘simple’ road feels like pure agony to you, then we’ll explore others—ones that bring you joy instead. So, what do you like?”

In the end, Fu Siwan couldn’t name a single path she truly wanted to pursue.

She realized she had nothing she burned to do, nothing that had ever called to her persistently.

Her wretched life, already veering off course, had been utterly upended the moment Bai Qian tried to wrench it straight.

Now, she had no idea what awaited in that “correct” future.

Bai Qian wasn’t at all surprised. Beneath the girl’s gaze, laced with a hint of self-deprecation, she spoke with gentle warmth.

Every word that fell from her lips was like a raindrop sliding off a broad banana leaf into a still pond, creating a soft, melodious ripple.

“No worries—this is perfectly normal, really. Plenty of people in this world wander through life just like you, unsure of what they truly want. Far too few ever pin down their dreams and charge toward them without faltering. So starting now, I’ll stick by your side. We’ll experiment, try things out, until we uncover what lights a fire in you from all these options.”

~~~

She hadn’t even gotten a chance to guide the girl through her first experiments when her phone rang—her mother calling.

“Little Qian, when are you coming home? I’ll have Auntie Zhao tidy up your room ahead of time.”

That jogged Bai Qian’s memory of something important.

The body she’d taken over had both parents alive and well, a picture-perfect family.

Which meant she’d be spending New Year’s Eve back home with them this year.

Knowing her mother was waiting for an answer, Bai Qian replied, “How about tomorrow, then?”

“Perfect. What time will you get in? Should I plan for dinner?”

“No need—we won’t roll in until nearly midnight.”

Her parents had bought a villa with a garden in the suburbs of B City for their retirement. Mindful of how busy Bai Qian was with work, they rarely bothered her.

They never brought it up outright, but they quietly fretted over their daughter’s marriage prospects.

The moment Mo Qingqing heard that “we,” her gentle voice lit up with excitement. “Little Qian, you’ve got a partner? Bringing them home tomorrow? Mom’s thrilled—don’t you worry, anyone you like, we’ll love too. Your dad’s on his way back; I’ll go share the good news with him right now.”

Bai Qian didn’t even get a chance to explain before the thrilled woman hung up.

“…”

Fu Siwan happened to walk in just then, carrying a plate of freshly washed strawberries. Before she could sit, Bai Qian ushered her into the bedroom.

“Pack your bags. Tomorrow we’re heading to B City—we’ll be staying about a week. A few changes of clothes will do; we can buy whatever else we need there.”

“B City? Why B City?”

Bai Qian plucked a strawberry from the plate, pinching off the tender green stem. She’d meant to pop it in her own mouth but suddenly felt repulsed by it. Instead, she stuffed the plump fruit between the girl’s lips.

The delicate skin split slightly under her rough fingertips, juicy sweetness smearing the girl’s soft pink mouth. Bai Qian naturally wiped it away with her thumb, chuckling lightly. “To take you home for the New Year.”

With that, she headed to her own room to pack.

Fu Siwan stared blankly at the spot where Bai Qian had vanished through the doorway. Her lips, brushed by that gentle touch, tingled as if butterflies danced upon them—the lingering warmth like a tiny flame, searing straight into her chest.

She licked her lips on instinct. The moment her tongue touched the spot, awareness crashed back. Panic and bewilderment flickered in her eyes as she grabbed another strawberry and shoved it into her mouth. Only when the stem grazed her lips did her wildly thumping heart finally calm, like it’d been doused with a bucket of cold water.

“You’re crazy. She’s ten years older than you,” she muttered to herself.

~~~

Bai Qian had no idea how to interact with elders.

It wasn’t part of a Guardian’s standard training.

She didn’t bound up to the door like an eager prodigal child dying to burst inside.

Instead, she stood awkwardly outside the firmly shut entrance, pulling Fu Siwan along with her—fingers hovering over the fingerprint scanner linked to her print, but unable to press down.

“Auntie, aren’t we going in?”

Fu Siwan couldn’t detect the unease Bai Qian hid behind her calm facade. They’d been standing there for nearly five minutes when she finally spoke up.

Bai Qian knew she couldn’t stall forever. She reached for the scanner—just as the heavy door swung open from within.

A graceful woman with her hair pinned up stood there, her soft eyes brimming with warmth as she called out, “You’re back? I was just about to come out and meet you.”

It was nearly eleven now. Bai Qian had messaged her via WeChat from the last rest stop, telling her not to wait up.

No parent ever truly listened when it came to welcoming their kids home.

Perhaps it was that line, oddly touching in its earnestness, but a wave of familiarity washed over Bai Qian. It felt like, in the blank spots of her memory, some gentle elder had once greeted her with the same concern.

The lingering discomfort vanished in an instant.

Bai Qian’s face broke into a grin like any weary worker finally home after a year away, her voice thick with reliance. “Mom, I’m back.”

Mo Qingqing blinked almost imperceptibly, tucking away that faint trace of bitterness before turning a gentle gaze toward the young girl standing beside the woman.

She spotted their hands clasped together so naturally at first glance—just as she had described over the phone yesterday. As long as Bai Qian liked her, Mo Qingqing liked her too.

Though mildly surprised by the girl’s gender and her strikingly youthful appearance, the woman betrayed none of it. Smiling warmly, she greeted her, “Auntie only just found out yesterday that you and Little Qian are dating. I completely forgot to ask your name, little one. What’s it?”