Chapter 80: 80. The Trampled School Bully (10) Part 2

Zhao Lanzhao immediately caught on to her “act first, report later” ploy. The two had coordinated seamlessly in all sorts of situations before, so she promptly feigned a sudden recollection. “I said today? Mom thought it was next week. Must’ve been from staying up too late last night—my memory’s shot. Well, since you’ve brought your friend home, why don’t you two head to the living room and watch some TV? No groceries in the house; I’ll go pick some up. Oh, right, little classmate—what do you feel like eating?”

Before Bai Qian could respond, Jiang Yusheng seized the conversation. “We were just about to go buy some ourselves. Give me the money, and we’ll handle it.”

“Fine, saves me the effort. You two go on ahead. I’ll rest up a bit and get up later to make dinner for you.”

With that, she turned and left the room.

Bai Qian hadn’t even managed a proper greeting with the elder when these two rabbits—who treated her like family—sang in perfect harmony and bluffed their way through.

~~~

Zhao Lanzhao was clearly very taken with Bai Qian.

At dinner, she enthusiastically piled food into the girl’s bowl.

The young lady was adorably well-mannered and refined. After a few questions about her background and learning her grades were excellent, the woman liked her even more.

“By the way, Qianqian—Auntie got so caught up asking about you that I still don’t know how you and Jiang Yusheng met.”

Bai Qian wasn’t sure how Jiang Yusheng had introduced her to others. She was mulling over whether to mention the alley when the girl beside her answered first.

“It was the drink she fed me.”

The words seemed disjointed at first glance, but Zhao Lanzhao understood instantly. “Oh, so you’re the one, Qianqian, who helped this rabbit brat through her susceptible period? When she came home and told me, I nearly keeled over from the shock. I asked who touched her ears, and she swore up and down no one did. How was Auntie supposed to believe that, right?”

“Auntie, I really didn’t touch her ears.”

Zhao Lanzhao looked baffled. “You’re not in cahoots with Jiang Yusheng to fool me, are you?”

Bai Qian repeated her earlier explanation, this time adding details about the drink’s ingredients.

Zhao Lanzhao was stunned. “It’s just one lemon short of our inhibitors. Who is your grandma? She’s incredible!”

Jiang Yusheng, who had zero interest in the topic, saw the conversation heading deeper and quickly interjected. “See? Now you know I wasn’t lying. Enough already—save the chit-chat for after dinner. The food’s getting cold.”

“Fair point. Qianqian, why don’t you hang out a while longer tonight? I’ll have Jiang Yusheng call a cab to take you home later.”

The scene from the bedroom replayed. Before Bai Qian could get a word in, Jiang Yusheng took the reins.

“Her mom’s gone back to her hometown for a few days. She’s home alone—who knows if it’s safe.”

Spotting the “private agenda” in her words, Zhao Lanzhao knew exactly what the rabbit brat was after and played right along. “No one at home? Then why bother going back, Qianqian? Stay over at Auntie’s tonight. The day before yesterday, Jiang Yusheng didn’t come home because she crashed at your place, right? You’ve slept together already, so switching spots is no big deal, is it?”

The little rabbit’s intentions were plain as day. “She didn’t bring any clothes or anything. Does she even have towels at home? If not, I’ll head to the supermarket later to grab some.”

“Probably not—your godmother took the last one. And don’t forget snacks while you’re at it. Qianqian, just go with Jiang Yusheng. Whatever you like, make her buy it.”

Bai Qian listened to the two rabbits casually plotting her overnight stay right in front of her, amused yet exasperated. She finally found an opening. “Auntie, our neighborhood’s security is great. I’ll head back early, lock all the doors and windows at night, and it’ll be fine.”

The moment she spoke, the little rabbit beside her visibly panicked.

Zhao Lanzhao shot a glance at her own useless Rabbit Spirit, then calmly shot down Bai Qian’s polite refusal. “Qianqian, you haven’t been keeping up with the news much, have you? Just a couple of days ago, in a neighborhood nearby, there was a girl about your age whose parents weren’t home. She was living alone and a burglar broke in. They say when she opened her eyes, the thief was standing right there beside her bed. Just picture it—middle of the night, and there’s some stranger looming over you, staring down. Terrifying, right? That poor girl was so scared she had a mental breakdown, and she’s still in the hospital getting treatment. Auntie knows stuff like that doesn’t happen every day, but better safe than sorry. We should cut off any possible risks upfront, don’t you think, Qianqian?”

Bai Qian listened, utterly dumbfounded.

It wasn’t that she was scared—it was that the story sounded awfully familiar.

Like… some twisted spin-off of a lateral thinking puzzle?

Zhao Lanzhao didn’t give her a moment to dwell on it. Having finished her logical appeal, she switched to tugging at the heartstrings. “Even if it’s not for your own sake, do it for Auntie, okay? The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were just my type. I only want to chat with you a little longer—that’s all. You wouldn’t refuse me even that, would you, Qianqian?”

Bai Qian: “…”

But she still turned her down. “If Auntie wants to chat, I can come over more often from now on. The thing is, school starts tomorrow, and I didn’t bring any clothes or anything. I need to head back early in the morning to grab them. It wouldn’t be convenient, so how about I stay over next time?”

Zhao Lanzhao: “Next time? And when exactly would that be? Tomorrow?”

The girl hadn’t expected the woman to press her so relentlessly. Under that gaze brimming with eager anticipation, she could only nod. “Alright.”

Jiang Yusheng had listened quietly to the entire exchange. The more she’d trusted Zhao Lanzhao at the start, the more she wanted to curse her out now.

This was your big plan?!

You have got to be kidding me, Ms. Zhao Lanzhao!

Jiang Yusheng, who had been counting on her to make Bai Qian stay the night, deflated at once, wilting like a shriveled flower.

Zhao Lanzhao took in her reaction and saw that half-dead look on her face. With a sigh, she stretched out her foot and gave Jiang Yusheng’s ankle a light nudge.

It was their private little signal.

Back when Ms. Zhao Lanzhao needed to slip away from some tedious dinner party but couldn’t handle it alone, she’d give that kick.

Tonight, though, it wasn’t a cry for backup.

Jiang Yusheng shot her a suspicious glance.

The woman stealthily flashed her a thumbs-up, then pointed at herself.

—Relax, your mom’s got this. I’ll make sure she stays tonight.

Jiang Yusheng wasn’t buying it anymore. She turned her head away with zero reaction, ruthlessly dodging Zhao Lanzhao’s meaningful look.

“…”

After dinner, Jiang Yusheng was shooed off to the kitchen to do the dishes.

Bai Qian tried to help, but Zhao Lanzhao whisked her straight to the living room instead.

The woman had her sit on the sofa, then grabbed the remote and settled right beside her. “What kind of shows do you usually watch, Qianqian?”

“Auntie, I don’t really watch TV dramas,” Bai Qian answered honestly.

What she watched most were books, followed by news, and then, occasionally, those acclaimed classic films she could rewatch a dozen times.

“Oh? Then how about keeping Auntie company and watching one today?”

“Sure.”

A few minutes later, Jiang Yusheng emerged from the kitchen, dishes done.

The sight of Ms. Zhao Lanzhao and Bai Qian cozied up together, chatting animatedly about the plot, hit her with a instant wave of jealousy.

Little Rabbit stormed over with a scowl, not saying a word before wedging herself right between them.

Zhao Lanzhao: “…”

Time always flew when binge-watching dramas. Before they knew it, it was nearly ten o’clock.

During the break before the next episode, Zhao Lanzhao checked the time and started nudging Jiang Yusheng toward the shower. Little Rabbit balked, so the woman pulled out her trump card, using Bai Qian as leverage. “If you don’t go wash up now, I’ll just drive Qianqian home myself in a bit.”

Jiang Yusheng inwardly unleashed a torrent of curses.

Just a few hours ago, you swore you’d help me keep her here!

And now, after a handful of episodes, you’ve forgotten all about it?!

Fine, I’ll never cover for you again!

The resentful Little Rabbit had no choice but to retreat to her room. The moment she was gone, Bai Qian spoke up. “Auntie, it’s not that late. I can head back on my own.”

She’d already mulled over her words carefully beforehand, steeling herself for how to politely refuse if Zhao Lanzhao insisted on driving her.

In the end, Big Rabbit was just like Little Rabbit—she loved to throw a wrench in the works. “Since it’s not too late yet, Qianqian, why don’t you keep Auntie company for one more episode? Auntie likes having someone to binge-watch with. Now that Jiang Yusheng’s off taking a shower, and I’m right at the climax, I really don’t want to wait for her to finish. So, can Qianqian stick around with Auntie a little longer?”

Jiang Yusheng’s looks were mostly inherited from Zhao Lanzhao, but the woman carried an extra layer of mature allure deep in her bones.

Usually, when Little Rabbit got her fur all ruffled, she’d have to coax her back down. Now with Big Rabbit pulling out all the stops with her spoiled act, Bai Qian naturally couldn’t say no.

But she was already feeling a bit drowsy. Her straight-backed posture softened unconsciously as she let the sofa take most of her weight, finally turning her attention back to the screen.

When Jiang Yusheng emerged from the bathroom, the sight that greeted her from behind was Bai Qian with her head tilted, peacefully nestled against Zhao Lanzhao’s shoulder.

The rabbit seething with jealousy charged over in a fury, ready to pry the two apart just like before. But what she found instead was the girl with her eyes closed, lost in deep sleep.

Her bristled fur smoothed right back down.

Zhao Lanzhao had clearly been frozen in that position for several minutes already. Spotting her approach, she rolled her eyes. “What, were you scrubbing the grime off the walls? Took you long enough.”

Jiang Yusheng whispered, “She’s asleep?”

The woman let out a low scoff. “What did you think? Now get her out of here—my shoulder’s killing me.”

Little Rabbit obediently scooted over to Bai Qian’s side, reaching out to shift her onto her own shoulder.

Her hand hadn’t even made contact when Zhao Lanzhao tsked in utter exasperation beside her. “What in the world is rattling around in that head of yours? Didn’t you inherit a single brain cell from your mom? Who said you could plop down right there? What, did we rock her to sleep for your benefit, just so you could snuggle up to her till morning?”

Jiang Yusheng: [coward.jpg]

“What are you spacing out for? Just scoop her up and carry her back to your room. You don’t seriously expect me to do the heavy lifting, do you?”