I’ll Butcher Pigs to Support You! 4

Chapter 4

The young woman standing before the bed was filled with trepidation, terrified that Song Yugui would once again make her sleep in the front hall. It was a cold, empty space where the wind howled through the darkness, and it scared her.

She was so scared that tears were about to fall, her doe-like eyes timid and red-rimmed.

Song Yugui suppressed the urge to curse. Her voice softened. The most important thing right now was to soothe her, lest she suffer the same bullying as in the novel and eventually descend into the dark, ruthless villain she was destined to become.

“Xizhi, clear this stuff away. We don’t need it.”

Shen Xizhi’s fingertips froze. The blood in her veins turned to ice, inch by inch. Tears welled in her eyes.

Does it have to be this way…? I didn’t even do anything. Why must you always bully me like this?

She suddenly looked up, her fists clenched, tears shimmering in her eyes, her expression a mix of stubbornness and grievance. But before she could say anything, Song Yugui cut her off, quickly adding the rest of her sentence, “You can sleep on the bed. The floor is too cold.”

A woman’s body was delicate; it was best to avoid the cold.

Shen Xizhi’s round eyes blinked. She hadn’t expected to hear such words from her.

Since marrying into the Song family, she had never once slept on Song Yugui’s bed.

It was as if Song Yugui was saving herself for someone, chaste as jade. Though she had spent a great deal of money to marry her, she never touched her. That was for the best; Shen Xizhi had no desire to be touched by such a disgusting person. But today, she was being told to get into bed. Could it be that she had changed her mind?

At that thought, Shen Xizhi’s heart tightened. She bit her pale lip gently, glanced at her, then lowered her head again in a pitiable, helpless manner. She felt she had no power to resist. Her slender hands clutched her chest, her eyes filled with tears, her thin frame shrinking back as if the person on the bed were some kind of terrifying monster.

Song Yugui could see how timid and frightened she was. Her own composure, which had been stretched taut all day, began to fray. She didn’t want every bedtime to be such a drawn-out affair. But she couldn’t very well give up the bed and sleep on the floor just to appease Shen Xizhi’s fears. She wasn’t an idiot. Getting pulled into a book was miserable enough; she wasn’t about to go looking for more hardship.

In the end, she could only put on a cold expression. Without a word, she got off the bed, strode over in her straw sandals, and grabbed the woman’s bony wrist, pulling her toward the bed.

Shen Xizhi ate little and was frail and light; she couldn’t resist anyone’s pull. A great force seemed to descend upon her, and her face paled. With a cry of alarm, her body stumbled forward, falling straight into the other woman’s arms. She was half-carried, half-guided to the edge of the bed. To steady herself, her fingers instinctively pressed against the soft swell of the other woman’s chest.

Even after she was seated, Shen Xizhi was still shaken, her pale throat working. It was only when she felt the softness beneath her palm, and her hand was fiercely batted away, that she realized what she had done. Her face instantly drained of color. She scrambled to her feet and stood beside the bed, looking up at Song Yugui cautiously, as if she had done something wrong. Her expression was timid, like that of a fledgling bird.

She looked utterly pitiful.

At the beginning of the novel, she was already the great villain, outwardly gentle but inwardly ruthless. Song Yugui had never imagined she could possess such a heart-wrenching vulnerability. For a moment, any anger she felt dissipated. She could only glare at her, feigning fierceness.

What kind of decent person goes around touching people’s chests? So rude!

One fierce, the other frightened, they faced each other for a long time without speaking. Song Yugui didn’t know what to scold her for, and she was afraid that if she was too harsh, she would push her into her villainous transformation. So, she held her tongue. Seeing her ferocious glare, Shen Xizhi didn’t dare speak at all. She just lowered her head and thought, It’s over, it’s over. She’s this angry. I’m going to meet my end here tonight.

After a long while, the shame and anger of being touched by a stranger finally subsided. Song Yugui saw her standing there obediently, in a perfect display of “if the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move,” and snorted coldly. “What are you doing just standing there? I told you to get into bed and sleep. Didn’t you hear me? Do I have to do it myself?”

Her harsh tone, paradoxically, put Shen Xizhi at ease. It wasn’t scary, nor was it gentle; it was her usual self. She probably wouldn’t be beaten to death.

But her feet still didn’t move. The thought of sharing a bed with Song Yugui was naturally repulsive to her. Glancing at the straw pallet she had laid out, Shen Xizhi took a step back. Just as she was about to say something, Song Yugui, who had seen her stalling, pulled her into her arms again.

“It’s late,” she said, annoyed. “Can’t we talk about whatever it is tomorrow? If you’re not going to sleep, I am.”

Caught off guard, Shen Xizhi cried out again. This time, she managed to control her hands and avoid touching anything she shouldn’t, but she ended up with her arms around Song Yugui’s neck, practically sitting on her lap. Her whole body was rigid. After a long moment, she gave a slight, resigned twist of her lips.

The person in her arms silently lowered her head, submitting to her will, only her thin body trembled faintly.

Is she really that scared? Song Yugui thought. If I keep up the persona from the book, won’t I scare her to death?

She turned her head, her tone softening slightly. “Didn’t I tell you to sleep on the bed? Why do you keep standing there? Aren’t you tired?”

The novel often described how the male lead had to go to town before dawn to sell his vegetables, and how the villain would often have ‘chance’ encounters with him…

If she has to wake up before dawn, she must be too tired to keep her eyes open by now, right?

She managed to turn her head and glance at Shen Xizhi.

By the faint light, she could see her eyelashes fluttering. She was probably sleepy but too shy to say so.

Women are thin-skinned, she knew. I’m pretty thin-skinned myself.

With that thought, Song Yugui tightened her arm around the waist in her hands, instinctively wanting to pull her further onto the bed.

“Go to sleep. We can talk about whatever it is tomorrow. From now on, you’ll sleep on the bed.”

She thought this was a small gesture of goodwill, but she didn’t realize that the woman in her arms had turned deathly pale, her heart sinking like a stone. So, it’s finally come to this.

How were two women supposed to… be together?

Would she be rough?

Would she hurt her?

As much as she hurt her when she beat her.

The mere thought of it made Shen Xizhi tremble with fear.

Song Yugui released her and straightened the corner of the bedding. Turning, she saw that the other woman was still frozen in the position she had been pulled into, sitting there with her slender waist straight, looking dazed. She couldn’t help but poke her. “Get into bed,” she urged. “Lie down for a while. Aren’t you cold?”

In truth, the bedding wasn’t much warmer, but two people huddled together would be warmer than being outside.

Her words went unanswered for a long time. Finally, the seated figure moved. With a rustle of fabric, she removed her outer clothes and shoes, revealing a delicate, snow-white body.

Song Yugui was taken aback but said nothing. She placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders and pressed down until her rigid body touched the pillow. Then she released her, took off her own outer clothes, and lay down.

She told herself, I’m not sure about my own orientation, but the villain! She definitely likes men. Otherwise, why would she have fallen for the male lead at first sight and not the female lead?

Since the villain liked men, it didn’t matter if two women just lay in the same bed.

Right?