Chapter 40

Bai Qian couldn’t possibly expose the true culprit behind it all, so she had no choice but to take the blame herself.

“So, may I ask, little Fu Siwan,” she said with a playful smile, “a schemer like me—could I request a chance to stay in this room with you?”

Fu Siwan instinctively refused. “No, I don’t like sharing a bed with anyone.”

Bai Qian chuckled. “Little Fu Siwan, have you forgotten? This is my house. And just to remind you, I’m the owner of this room.”

The girl’s demeanor instantly chilled, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing as a hint of petulant grievance—unwittingly born from being spoiled—flashed across her face. “And? If I say you can’t sleep here, are you going to kick me out?”

Bai Qian blinked in confusion.

She swore she was just joking!

She was the one who ought to feel aggrieved here, so how had this girl turned the tables and started complaining first?

“Of course not,” she hurried to reassure her. “Like I told you earlier, treat this place as our second home from now on. Whatever you’re like at your own house, you can be the same here.” Bai Qian, ever practiced at coaxing Little Rabbit, once again melted under the power of those expressive little looks.

After some gentle soothing, the faint redness around Little Rabbit’s eyes finally receded, no more troublesome tears threatening to spill.

The girl, thoroughly spoiled by now, felt zero guilt as she shooed the room’s rightful owner out the door.

She switched off the light and slipped into bed. Perhaps because the surroundings felt so unfamiliar, she tossed and turned for ages, sleep stubbornly refusing to come.

The house was utterly still.

Unbidden, Fu Siwan’s thoughts drifted to Bai Qian. How was she sleeping?

The bed and sofa were both occupied now—no way she could use either. Was she crashing on the living room rug?

It was freezing out there. What if she caught a cold?

Fu Siwan tried to banish thoughts of the woman from her mind. She warned herself not to go crazy, that all those improper feelings needed to be nipped in the bud.

But emotions didn’t come with an off switch; they weren’t something you could just will into submission.

That woman’s tenderness and indulgence had long since woven themselves into intangible threads throughout their daily interactions and touches.

It was terrifying.

She could practically feel the air in the room infused with Bai Qian’s scent.

The emotions she couldn’t suppress swelled until they were impossible to contain.

Bai Qian was grateful the man had only wrecked the largest sofa. The other one, positioned sideways, was smaller, but if she curled up tight, she could just about fit.

She lay down, but comfort was another story—she’d never slept in such a cramped position before. Eyes closed, her body protested every which way, keeping sleep at bay.

The door to the secondary bedroom creaked open.

Bai Qian, wide awake, snapped her eyes open.

The living room was dark. Fu Siwan stood with her back to the room, her face shrouded in shadow, her expression impossible to read.

“I’ll share with you. Just one night.”

Bai Qian’s mind blanked for a few seconds before the words sank in.

Wise to the ways of the world, she asked nothing—better not risk saying the wrong thing and having Little Rabbit change her mind!

The instant Bai Qian touched the bed, exhaustion crashed over her like a wave.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Fu Siwan lay on the far side of the bed, staring into the darkness with wide eyes.

Long ago, she’d shared a bed with this woman too.

But back then, she’d already lost consciousness—not exactly by choice.

They weren’t close now, either. And strangely, because of that distance, she realized she didn’t feel the disgust or resistance she’d expected.

She couldn’t quite put her current feelings into words. Maybe she wasn’t feeling much of anything.

Just… suddenly very sleepy.

~~~

The next morning.

Bai Anjun ran into Bai Qian emerging from the room and greeted her with a grin. “Little Qian, how’d you sleep with your girlfriend—er, your female friend?”

Bai Qian had no patience for him and resorted to her trump card. “Dad, if you pull another childish stunt like last night, I won’t stay over tomorrow. I’ll head straight home tonight!”

The man looked instantly wounded. “I’m doing this for you, you ungrateful brat! You’ll be twenty-nine after the New Year! Meanwhile, Siwan’s not even twenty yet. There are so many young college girls out there—if you don’t snag her now, it’ll only get harder later! Strike while the iron’s hot; you can’t wait to chase a girl!”

Bai Qian laughed. “By that logic, Dad, if I do catch her now, what happens when she starts college and meets even younger, better girls? Will she dump me? Then what’s the point of all my hard work pursuing her?”

Bai Anjun shook his head disapprovingly. “If you think that way, you’re dead wrong. When it comes to dating, the process matters most. What if Siwan really runs off with some other girl in the end? That would just prove she wasn’t worth your devotion. But trust me—your dad has always been spot-on at reading people. Siwan’s not the type to chase after every fleeting fancy. If she truly likes you, she’ll stick with you forever.”

Bai Qian couldn’t deny that point. In the original plot, hadn’t the female protagonist been utterly devoted to that scumbag man?

She didn’t want to keep discussing this with him. The little one hadn’t woken up yet, and if she overheard their conversation and got the wrong idea, that would spell trouble.

“Dad, I’m hungry. What are we having for breakfast?”

“You’re changing the subject!”

Bai Qian blinked at him playfully. “Can’t I change the subject? Does that mean you won’t make breakfast for me, Dad?”

The man shot her a glare before relenting. “If you regret this later, don’t come crying to me about how I should’ve helped you more back then!”

The nanny auntie had started her vacation today, so Bai Anjun was in charge of the household meals.

Just as Bai Qian finished helping set the table, Mo Qingqing and Fu Siwan appeared together at the dining room entrance.

Noticing the unease hidden behind Fu Siwan’s smile, Bai Qian walked over and naturally took the girl’s hand. She first greeted Mo Qingqing with a cheerful “good morning,” then turned her full attention to the little one. “I had my dad make some lean pork congee. Want me to ladle you a bowl?”

Fu Siwan shook her head. “No need, I can do it myself.”

The woman leaned in close with a gentle smile, her breath brushing the girl’s slightly flushed earlobe as she whispered, “You don’t have to pretend in front of my parents. Whatever way you boss me around normally, you can do the same right here in this house.”

Her voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it, but the girl still tensed up nervously. She carefully glanced at the man in the distance, who was tying on an apron and ladling out porridge, and only relaxed with a quiet sigh once she saw his attention wasn’t on them.

The little one’s quail-like timidity was just too adorable. Bai Qian fought the urge to pinch that sensitive earlobe and instead pulled her to the table, pressing her gently into a chair.

The woman brought over two bowls of the porridge Bai Anjun had prepared, setting them down on the table as she slid into the seat right next to Fu Siwan.

She stayed glued to the shy girl’s side, her every silent action radiating meticulous tenderness.

It was Fu Siwan’s first time visiting someone else’s home, and she’d braced herself for an excruciating meal.

But the whole process turned out to be far more relaxed than she’d imagined.

The two adults didn’t overwhelm her with excessive hospitality like she’d feared—no piling food onto her plate or bombarding her with questions.

They simply ate their own meals in quiet companionship, treating Fu Siwan like she was already a natural part of the family.

The silence at the table didn’t feel awkward at all. Instead, it carried a touching warmth all its own.

Fu Siwan knew exactly why she felt so at ease. She lowered her gaze to where Bai Qian’s hand still gripped hers tightly under the table.

The woman said nothing, but her actions spoke volumes to the girl.

—I’ll be right here with you.

Fireworks weren’t allowed in the city proper, but they were permitted on the beach.

That afternoon, Bai Qian took the little girl shopping and bought a ton of things, including a whole box stuffed full of fireworks.

After finishing New Year’s Eve dinner—with no alcohol for Bai Qian—she drove the other three family members to the seaside to set them off.

At midnight, the government-sponsored fireworks extravaganza would light up the sky, drawing quite a crowd to watch the show.

Bai Qian and her group arrived early and luckily snagged front-row spots.

Out of the four of them, only Bai Anjun was truly excited about lighting fireworks.

He pulled Mo Qingqing off to a distant spot for some alone time, leaving the prime area to Bai Qian and Fu Siwan.

As he left, Bai Anjun generously handed each girl a fairy stick.

Bai Qian lit them one by one with her lighter, and brilliant golden sparks bloomed from the tips all the way to the ends.

Throughout it all, both of them kept straight faces, showing not a trace of the joy one might expect.

Fu Siwan handed her the spent sticks. “This is so boring.”

Bai Qian nodded in agreement.

There wasn’t even a whiff of New Year’s spirit.

She tossed the remnants into a nearby trash bin and walked back to the girl’s side. “My dad’s the one who loves this stuff. Once the fireworks show is over, we’ll head back.”

The little one set aside her usual sassiness around Bai Qian and gave a sweet, obedient hum.

“Should we wait in the car? There are too many people here. I don’t like it.”

Bai Qian felt the same way and took the girl’s hand without hesitation. Before they could leave, a nearby couple suddenly started shouting excitedly: “3!”

“2!”

Realization dawned on her. She turned just in time to see the crowd counting down to “0,” when a massive boom erupted over the sea.

They were so close that Bai Qian jolted in genuine shock. Snapping out of it, she whipped her head around to check on Fu Siwan by her side.

The young girl was far more startled than she’d let on. She stood frozen in place, her body trembling uncontrollably from the reflexive shock.

Fu Siwan’s eardrums throbbed with pain, leaving her no chance to react before a second explosion ripped through the air beside her ear.

One shock after another forced tears from her eyes.

The girl finally snapped out of it and realized she needed to take cover. She had just started to step back when a pair of warm hands reached over to gently cover her battered ears.

Fu Siwan looked up. Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw the woman gazing down at her tenderly.

The fireworks were loud, but they held an extraordinary beauty of their own. Against that dazzling backdrop, Bai Qian was breathtaking in that moment—impossible to look away from.

Another firework burst overhead, but this time, Fu Siwan felt no fear.

Her ears registered no sound at all. What she heard was the bloom of fireworks in her heart.

The woman asked her, concern lacing her voice.

“Are you okay?”

Tears spilled from her eyes. Fu Siwan pressed down on the hands covering her ears, gripping them tighter than she ever had before.

“Not okay.”

Fu Siwan smiled through her tears. “Sis, I’m going crazy. How could I be?”